Freak of Nature
by thekyuubivixen
Summary: Werewolves. They were nothing but fantasy. They didn't exist separate from the intricate words written down on a page, or from the oral folklore that would leave children guessing at the world around them. There was no reason for Shadow to believe otherwise. Well...until he hit one with his car. Rated M for language and violence.
1. Don't text and drive kids

**Disclaimer- I don't own any of the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **A/N- Hey! Welcome to my new fic! Well, it could be, depending on how much you guys like it :) I know that there's a number of Sonic monster stories on the site, but this plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone. So, hopefully you'll enjoy!**

 **Chapter 1**

All he heard were the rain drops splattering against his windshield. They were hard and heavy, causing a near opaque blanket of grey that prompted the frown already present on his muzzle to prominently grow.

Shadow stiffly increased the frequency of his windshield wipers as if annoyed that he had to turn them on in the first place. The flailing devices did little to improve visibility of the rarely used road he was traveling on. Regardless of the obtrusive clouds blocking the late afternoon sun and making his drive near impossible, Shadow never did release the gas.

The striped hedgehog had not encountered a single vehicle ever since he had turned on this empty road. The reason could be the severe weather, or that it was in the middle of nowhere. Shadow didn't particularly care. The road was an alternate route for him to avoid traffic on the highway caused by idiot drivers who couldn't keep their wheels on the damn asphalt.

Shadow had been leaving Emerald airport and making his return to Station Square on a freeway that was supposed to lead him straight to the city, taking no more than an hour. However, there were so many cars at a dead stop that would test any driver's patience.

Shadow wasn't in the mood for it. His patience was already drained and basically in the negatives. His adoptive grandfather believed that it was a great idea to expand the hedgehog's summer stay at his home/laboratory in Green Hill to the day before the hedgehog had to start his senior year. Brilliant, was it not? Shadow was all for saying no and leaving a week ago like he had planned to so he had plenty of time to _not_ rush. However, Maria had been on her grandfather's side.

Dammit. Shadow needed to learn to say no to that girl.

Her excuse was that she wanted to see as much of him as she could before she went back to college abroad. Spagonia was so far away and her work was so rigorous that she didn't have the time to come home. If that wasn't enough to sway the dark hedgehog, she also had used the puppy eyes on him, and that's why he was in the middle of this downpour not knowing exactly how long it would take him to get to the city now.

It was also because of his delayed flight, but he felt it was easier to be angry at people than inanimate objects.

Shadow adjusted himself in his seat, sitting straighter and squinting his eyes. He could barely make out the white and yellow lines that defined where his car could and couldn't go. Agitated scarlets snapped to his right when he passed by what he guessed to be a speed limit sign. Those red orbs then drifted to his speedometer. He didn't know what the sign said that flew by, but when the rain wasn't bad earlier, the limit had been fifty-five.

He was going eighty.

The cops were just going to arrest him when he got back home. He wasn't worried about any tickets either. Gerald would pay the full amount needed when told. That man was too nice for his own good.

Shadow debated drowning out the constant rainfall with the radio, but then decided against it. No amount of music would make the headache-inducing weather any more pleasant, and he needed to focus before he turned into those idiot drivers and headed straight for a flooded ditch.

His high-beam headlights were activated because of how the clouds blocked out the sun and turned the day into early night; they did nothing but highlight each rain drop as it fell in front of Shadow's car. The hedgehog's grip tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles began to throb.

Shadow shifted his focus from the road for a split second to curse the clouds above. Before a single word escaped his tanned lips, a loud tone erupted from his pants pocket, causing him to return back to earth. Shadow was highly irritated, but he wasn't crazy, so he let up on the gas a bit to slow his speed as he dug into his pocket.

He gripped his phone and took it out. Shadow knew that there were no police around that he could see; however, he scanned the area outside anyway. Tickets were one thing; being arrested was another. Unsurprisingly, he didn't see anything but the sheets of rain and the occasional glimpse of blurred trees along the side of the road.

Using more muscle memory than visual assistance, Shadow unlocked his phone and went to his messages. Hardened rubies flickered down to the device, and his ire nearly dissipated at what he read.

 _ **Maria:**_ _Sorry we kept you so long lil hedgie! Forgive us? I know you might be mad…_

A breathy sigh breezed by the white chest fur sticking out of his black tee. Shadow's gaze softened. They just wanted to spend time with him. With Maria studying out of the country, Gerald busy with his unmovable work many hours away, and Shadow going to the school that had the best score academic wise, the trio weren't together often.

Shadow had suggested that he leave his apartment and move back in with Gerald at the beginning of summer, but the man insisted that Shadow have the best experience with the educational system. The schools near where the scientist worked were not great by Gerald's standards (Shadow's books and lessons during his first two years of high school proved that), so he had helped Shadow find an apartment in Station Square before junior year started. He covered all of the expenses as well. Shadow had a bank account, and Gerald generously provided him with enough money to last him until he turned forty-five.

Not quite that much, but it was an impressive amount.

The man trusted him not to abuse it because he was – as Gerald put it – mature for his age, and he didn't.

The most expensive thing Shadow had bought was the car he was currently inside that was being abused by the weather. The hedgehog at the wheel blinked when a bolt of lightning lit up the sky, and his ears twitched at the base-filled boom of thunder that quickly followed. Just perfect.

Shadow kept his eyes on the road for a short while until he went to answer the text. However, before he could, another tone echoed throughout the interior again. The hedgehog read what popped up.

 _ **Maria:**_ _Wait wait wait! You're driving, aren't you? Shoot! Don't answer these, okay? I don't want you to get in trouble or get hurt! Be safe for me, alright? Don't answer that either! Just text when you get back to your room!_

He just shook his head in jest. Sometimes, Maria was the mom he never had.

 _ **Shadow:**_ _Don't worry. I will._

 _ **Maria:**_ _Shadowww! That's illegal!_

 _ **Shadow:**_ _If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around, does it still make a sound?_

 _ **Maria:**_ _I'm serious!_

 _ **Shadow:**_ _Okay. I'll stop._

 _ **Maria:**_ _:(_

Shadow stared at the emoticon and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Maria could also be a small child if she so desired. The hedgehog was then brought back to the situation he was in when his vehicle began to drift. Breath hitching, Shadow swiftly placed both hands on the wheel and guided himself back to where he was supposed to be, phone slipping out of his hand in the process.

The hedgehog bit back an expletive as he debated going after it. He wanted to so the phone couldn't somehow mess with his pedals, but then he would be taking his eyes off the road again. Shadow thought for a moment before reaching down, now unable to see the rain, only hear it.

He kept his steering hand steady as he searched by his feet. It took little time to locate and grasp the phone. Shadow sat back up in his seat just in time to nearly jump out of his skin when something hard bumped into his front bumper, making the car slightly lurch. Eyes wider than they had ever been, Shadow stomped the brake, and his stomach flipped when he felt the car roll over _whatever_ he had hit.

The car impressively skid to a complete stop despite the horrid weather outside. Shadow was clutching the steering wheel, staring out of the windshield in front of him, unmoving. The rain and thunder were still roaring, but his heart was pounding his chest so hard that he could hear his pulse clearly in his ears.

Shadow's mind was in a frenzy. Should he get out and go check? But what if it was a wild animal? Furious that it had been hit? Or what if it was just a random object that had rolled to the road from the wind? What if…it was a person? No. That was crazy. No one sane would chose to be pelted with this rain. But…

"Shit," Shadow panted out, arms trembling as he carefully steered his vehicle onto the shoulder of the road. He put the car in park and placed his phone in the passenger seat. Taking a second to steel himself, Shadow opened the car door and immediately was soaked. His shirt plastered against his torso, and his pants clung uncomfortably to his legs. He wasn't focused on his own discomfort though.

Shadow closed the door until it was open just a crack. The hedgehog looked the way he came, but couldn't see what he had hit though the tons of rain drops coming down on him. With a lump in his throat, Shadow first went to survey the damages, heading to the front of his car.

As expected, there was a sizable dent in his bumper. Nothing that could identify what he had ran over. There was no blood, but the rain could have easily washed it away.

Swallowing, Shadow stepped away from his car and jogged back down the road, wiping away the water dripping into his eyes. His shoes splashed into the puddles as he went, mind fearing the worst the closer he thought the victim was.

When the striped driver eventually found what he hit, he felt his blood run cold. It was a person. Oh _fuck._ It was an unconscious hedgehog with drenched cobalt quills. Shadow's eyes searched the stranger's body for injuries until he realized that it – a _male_ , Shadow knew now – was completely naked.

 _Why_ the hell was he naked?

Shadow then deemed that question unimportant and filed that away for later, seeing that there was a sizable gash in the side of the victim's head. The rain was rinsing the blood, but the wound was still very visible. Shadow then noticed that still one's left leg was bent the wrong way, clearly broken. There was bone poking out of the tear in the other's calf were it bent.

The striped hedgie gritted his teeth, clenching his quivering fists. What should he do? Call the police? Who _knew_ how long it would take for them get out here in the middle of a raging thunderstorm. It would be better if he just…

Shadow stepped closer to him. _It isn't like he'll die of blood loss. His injuries could be worse. A lot worse._ The hedgehog squatted down and gathered the unconscious one in his arms, careful of the broken leg. Shadow frowned at how light the other was, almost unhealthily light. The striped rodent swiftly paced his way over to his car, but briefly paused in his step when he noticed the blue stranger's hands.

They were severely callused, and the nails were unkempt and dirty and sharp…almost like claws. Shadow shook that ridiculous thought out of his head. This person was probably homeless, but that was bizarre in itself because he looked to be around the same age as Shadow.

Said hedgehog hesitated a split second as he stood in front of one of the back doors of his car, wondering if he should do this. As nasty as it would be, he could always just… No. He was raised better than that. Even if he might face charges with that dent in his bumper, he couldn't leave the hedgehog here.

Shadow, soaking from head to toe, opened the door and gingerly laid the blue one down on his cloth seats. Dammit, how was he going to explain the inevitable stains? Hire a cleaner maybe? And a mechanic as well…

Taking a shaky breath, Shadow closed that door before opening the driver's and hopping in, knowing that water was being absorbed by his seat and sighing. Foot on the brake, he put the car in drive, but before he pulled off, he glanced over to his phone beside him.

Should he…? No, they'd have a heart attack, especially Maria. He would tell them later.

Shadow pocketed the phone, checked for any cars – although knowing good and well that there wouldn't be any – and his tires met the slick asphalt once more. He never shifted his attention from the road even though his mind was split at the moment. Half of his focus was on his steering so that he wouldn't cause another incident in this insane weather, and the other half was him listening for any sound or movement from the one behind him. The last thing Shadow wanted for the stranger to go berserk on him and risk both of their lives.

Every now and again, the driver would glance up into the rearview mirror only to see the blue hedgehog in the same position Shadow had put him in.

The striped hedgie's heart rate slowly decreased to normal as the ride went on. Shadow got more comfortable, and it seemed like the rain was letting up. He believed that his guest would stay knocked out until they got to the Square's hospital, which was hopefully not too long of a drive.

Some of the clouds started to part, and Shadow saw that the sun had almost completely set, the formerly blue sky now filled with a multitude of darkened colors. Because the rain had decreased to only a drizzle and he could _afford_ to, Shadow looked over to the radio clock. It wasn't too bad. Despite everything that he had went through, he shouldn't make it home too late. Well, if him dropping off the one in the back didn't take long.

Shadow ran a damp hand down his face and sighed. He really needed some rest after this was over. Between the stress and the full-out panic, Shadow was ready to say goodbye to today.

The striped hedgehog rode peacefully as the natural light faded.

His moment of tranquility was then interrupted when a low moan emitted from the backseat. Shadow peered over his shoulder to see the formerly unconscious hedgehog slowly coming to.

Shadow turned back toward the road and made himself speak. "Don't move too much. You have a broken leg."

His only answer was more groaning and something snapping. If that didn't raise red flags, the tearing, ripping, and breaking that accompanied the now low and guttural growls sure did.

Shadow was too petrified to find out what the hell was going on. His body was frozen as those unnatural and terrifying noises went on behind him. After a particular crack of what the hedgehog could assume was _bone_ , a couple drops of blood landed on his right arm. Shadow was tempted to jump out of the moving vehicle then and there. To hell with the car and _whatever_ was in the back seat.

However, Shadow continued to sit there and drive. He wanted to carry out his plans – _oh_ how he wanted to – but the sounds had suddenly stopped.

The eerie silence was worse than the gruesome noises from before.

Shadow gripped the wheel like doing so could save his life. Maybe it actually would, because he was starting to feel like picking up the stranger had been a bad idea despite the circumstances.

The driver attempted to stay calm, and he did so by slowly counting down from thirty in his head. When he got to zero, he was going to look in the rearview mirror to see what had happened. Maybe he was just being paranoid. _25_. Someone under intense stress could possibly hallucinate. It wasn't impossible. _16._ Shadow didn't know why he was so paranoid. Nothing was going on with the boy behind him. He was still unconscious back there with an injury on his head and a broken leg. _5._

Shadow took a deep breath and shifted his gaze up.

It felt like an elephant sat on his chest. He couldn't breathe. There was no way that he could, because there was a very muscled and very _bloody_ beast crouched down low in the backseat looking _straight at him._ Shadow couldn't tear his eyes away from those deadly claws ripping into his cloth, those bared teeth ready to shred anything in sight, and those wild blood-thirsty eyes that were boring into Shadow's skull.

The hedgehog's brain shut down as he gradually turned his head until he was staring into the mouth of the beast. The dark-furred monster pulled back his lips more and let out an animalistic snarl that blew hot breath into Shadow's pale face.

Then the beast lunged, and the scream left Shadow's throat before he could stop it.

The striped rodent ripped his seatbelt off and plastered himself against the door when the other chomped down in the space right where his face would have been, forgetting all about the steering wheel. Fearing for his life, Shadow tried to open the door with the handle, but his hands were shaking too much.

When a giant clawed hand grabbed the back of Shadow's seat and pulled, instantly snapping it in half, the hedgie knew that it was either fight or flight. Since he couldn't escape, he made the rather dumbass move of kicking the beast in the nose.

He instantly regretted that when his ankle was painfully grabbed.

The car then drove off the road and into a neighboring ditch, dipping into the water-filled depression in the ground and flipping over itself. The sleek black vehicle rolled over and over, causing the airbags to go off. Shadow was hit in the side with his that sent him tumbling towards the back of the car and by the growling beast who was bracing itself.

Shadow yelled out in pain when glass shards cut his arms, and then he was knocked out when his head smashed against the roof of the car. His world quickly cut to black.

Everything hurt when he came back to. Over ninety percent of his body was either throbbing or bleeding, and his head was _killing_ him. He was currently laying in the backseat. Shadow cautiously sat up, careful not to move too violently. Feeling blood run down his cheek, he wiped it away only for it to be replaced a few seconds later.

"Great," he coughed out, voice dry and rough. Shadow looked around, seeing that his car was trashed, littered with shattered glass and mud that had entered from the roll. He was relieved that the vehicle had landed right-side up, but then again, he was sour about the actual condition of the car. All of the windows were shattered and the frame was bent and broken beyond repair.

Things could have been worse, he supposed. He could've been more injured than he was now, or that beast could have-

Shadow's heart skipped a beat when he whirled his head around, searching for the monster that had attacked him. He then groaned when the movement made his world tilt on its axis, horribly dizzy. He held his head, but still wondered where the hell that thing was. Did it leave? What _was_ it anyway? He had picked up a normal person, and in the stranger's place was…

Just what the hell…

It looked like a freak cross between a wild bear and a wolf with a predatory drive of those two put together. However, it still resembled that blue hedgehog from before…vaguely. So did he…transform? Like a…

Shadow shook his head softly, almost laughing at his insane thoughts. That wasn't possible. He was delusional. He had to imagine it. The claws, the fangs, the other grabbing his leg…

The hedgehog coughed again and realized with urgency that he needed to get out of the car. There was smoke rising, and he could smell the potent odor of gasoline. His body protesting every movement he made, Shadow crawled over the seat to the closest door, hissing in pain as he did so. He cracked the door before it refused to open anymore. Gritting his teeth, he shoved it using all of his weight and yelped in surprise when it sprung out, sending his aching body to the muddy ground.

Shadow quickly crawled away from the deathtrap on his hands and knees, too weak to get his feet under him. The hedgehog trudged through the muck until he reached the road again, settling down right where the asphalt began. Shadow panted as he watched the smoke rise over the trees that had stopped the car's destructive path.

Tired and traumatized scarlets then focused on said plants, having a shiver travel down his spine at the sight of the darkened woods. As he gazed on, he couldn't help but feel that something was looking back. Blaming that on his most likely concussed brain, Shadow dug in his pocket and pulled out his phone. It was cracked and damp, but it still worked.

He dialed a number and put it up to his ear.

Shadow's world was then suddenly filled with light and warmth when his car exploded, pieces of metal and glass reaching his feet. There went all of his clothes that were in the trunk. He just observed as the fire lit up the night, too spent and hurt to care anymore.

" _9-1-1. What's your emergency?"_

"I need an ambulance…and send your best shrink too while you're at it."

* * *

 **So how'd you like it? Should I continue? If I do, I don't think updates will come as frequently as Reality Breach, but I'll try :D**


	2. Curiosity killed the

**Disclaimer- I don't own any of the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **A/N- Thanks** _ **so**_ **much for the support guys! Like seriously, it means so much! Imma continue this one and see where it goes!**

 **Oh, and if you didn't notice it in the summary, I'm changing the rating to M. You'll see why in this chapter…**

 **Chapter 2**

"You didn't cause me to crash grandfather, so stop blaming yourself."

" _How can I not Shadow? You wanted to return earlier, but my selfishness resulted in you staying! If you had gone back to Station Square when you had planned to, you wouldn't have been caught in that rainstorm!"_

A heavy sigh passed through tanned lips, Shadow's breath mingling with the humid night air. The hedgehog leaned back against the bench he had settled in, wincing when some parts of his body protested that movement. Scarlet orbs left the busy street filled with bright headlights and low voices to gaze up at the stars above as if they would help Gerald see reason.

When they offered no assistance, Shadow closed his eyes. This conversation was harder than it should've been. The main reason was because Shadow himself didn't have a definite answer to the question of who was to blame. He wanted to convince himself that he had been either tired, or zoning out and that was what caused him to swerve off of the road. Those were the realistic answers. However, that monster had seemed so real and tangible and _there_. Both the beast _and_ the mysterious stranger…

Shadow exhaled and focused up at the full moon above.

"It's not your fault. It's mine. I…just stopped paying attention to the road."

He couldn't say that he was speeding as well; Gerald trusted him to be responsible with his car.

" _Which was my fault as well! You must have been focusing on getting home in time which would not have happened if I had let you go!"_

This was going nowhere.

"It's _no one's_ fault grandfather. Yes, I crashed, but you looking back and feeling guilty about it isn't going to change what happened. So stop."

"…"

Shadow raked his fingers through his striped quills, hating the silence. "I'm fine. Despite what I've been through, the doctors said that I am perfectly healthy besides some bruising and a small laceration." He stroked the bandage covering his right temple. "No internal injuries."

"… _I know that already. They had contacted me."_

The hedgehog ran a hand down his face. "Then why…"

" _Because it could have been much worse Shadow, and you know that. Do you realize how hard it would've been for me to tell Maria that you died in a car accident?"_

He did realize, and his stomach twisted at the image of a devastated Maria crying her heart out. He saw Gerald there with her, but his presence did nothing to sooth those heavy tears.

Shadow swallowed as he kept looking skyward; a passing cloud blocked the moon's light for a moment before it continued on. "I'm assuming that she doesn't know… She hasn't called or texted me yet."

" _No, she doesn't. When you didn't tell her that you returned back safely, she had contacted me and I reassured her that you had fallen asleep as soon as you got in. And of course, I can't tell her what really happened since she's on her flight…"_

"I'll be hearing from her in the morning then."

" _You better have a better argument prepared for her than the one you used on me."_

His comedic tone made Shadow feel lighter. "I'll start practicing as soon as I can."

" _Speaking of travel Shadow…"_

"I'm not going to buy a new car until the weekend rolls around. I can last five days without my own transportation."

" _But-"_

"I can buy new clothes if I have to. Not every article of clothing I own was in the trunk when it caught fire. I'm _alright_ grandfather…don't worry about me."

"… _If you say so son. Goodnight."_

"Goodnight." Shadow lowered his cracked phone and turned it around in his hands, hesitant to tuck it into his damp pants pocket. He just placed it beside himself, inwardly groaning as he did so. The hedgehog carefully leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, hands cradling his face.

If he had thought that he needed his bed before, he definitely craved its sleep-inducing comfortableness now. He needed to forget today. It didn't happen. His wounds would eventually fade away, and everything lost would be replaced. Shadow's experience on the road would be pushed to the back of his mind, never to be thought of again.

The striped hedgehog stifled a yawn. It was around eleven, and he knew that he would have to get up early so he could catch the school bus in time. Shadow sighed again as he sat up, frowning at the dull pain that resonated from his back and sides. The feeling was uncomfortable and unfamiliar to him, and he wanted it gone as soon as possible.

Shadow was an inside kid – so to speak – while growing up. While others were playing sports, he was reading safely in his home. He didn't have many friends either. There was a human kid named Chris that he barely tolerated, but the boy never left him alone. Maria had caught wind of it and encouraged the friendship. If he didn't want to upset Maria, he had to 'be friendly' to please her.

The prospect of moving away was like a surprise birthday present.

Anyway, the lack of friends and athletics equaled the lack of potentially harmful physical contact. Shadow didn't get hurt very often. If he did, it was something insignificant like a splinter. These bruises were going to make his tired first day even more unbearable.

He was getting ahead of himself however. How could he think of school when he hadn't gotten to his damn apartment yet? The city transit bus was running late. Today was definitely not his day.

Black ears flickered when the sound of tires screeching to a halt reached them. Shadow dropped his hands and gazed in front of him, raising a brow at the clean white car that clearly reflected all of the artificial lights surrounding the vehicle. The front window began to lower, and who he saw in the driver's seat made his muscles relax.

"Hey hot stuff. You need a ride?"

"That would be appreciated," Shadow answered as he gathered his phone and approached the passenger side door. He opened it, sat down in the leather seat, and closed it while trying to hide his pain. Rouge would be able to pick up on it in a heartbeat. The hedgehog looked over the interior as he put his seatbelt on. "I see that your parents got you a gift over the summer."

There was a scoff to his left and he glanced over to see the bat rolling her eyes. She pulled off just as a driver behind them honked their horn. "I haven't seen you in nearly three months, and I don't even get a thank you, or a 'I miss you', or a 'My summer was pretty much worthless because I didn't get to see your gorgeous face'?"

Shadow lolled his head against the soft seat and deemed that her question was too ridiculous to answer.

Instead of becoming affronted, Rouge grinned over at him, her expression warm. "Can't blame a girl for trying." She then nodded, tapping her manicured nails to the beat of a song on the radio. "But yeah, they decided that it was time to stop getting up early in the morning to take me to school. They like sleep too, and since you know that I _refuse_ to ride the infection-on-wheels, they had no choice but to buy me this beauty."

Shadow hummed at the information, able to see what she described happening.

Once Shadow refused to be lured to play her love games when he had first attended Station Square High, Rouge had moved him from the 'possible boyfriend' category to her 'best guy friend' category without the hedgehog's consent. When asked why, she explained that he was the first guy to do so, and she was pleasantly impressed. Since then, she had told him everything about her – whether he wanted her to or not – which included her complete repulsion of school transportation.

Shadow had first treated the bat like he had treated Chris, as more of a forced acquaintance than an actual friend. But then she started to grow on him. She was nothing like Maria, having an attitude and a whole way of speaking that he wasn't used to, but somehow they had gotten close. She was the most stubborn person he had ever met. By the end of junior year, Shadow began to question if him rejecting her only made her get closer in a different way.

And of course, Maria was ecstatic to hear about her as well.

The striped hedgehog, done musing, glanced over at the bat's attire. Her clothing was a little unusual for someone on a Sunday – or rather – a school night. Instead of a t-shirt and sweatpants a person would be wearing if they were on a late night run, Rouge looked like she had just walked out of a party with her tight purple dress and heels.

Shadow felt like he wasn't too far off in his guess. "Your parents made you work today of all days?"

Rouge slumped a bit in her seat. "Tell me about it, hon. The club's been understaffed for a few weeks because a couple of people have been laid off for stealing. Since then, they've been really harsh on people who apply, so until they fill those spots, I'm their temporary servant."

The displeasure etched in her features was hard to miss. "Is working the bar that bad?"

The bat slammed on the brakes when a car cut her off. She promptly slammed her palm against the horn. "I swear, drivers are just getting worse…" Shadow shared her sentiments. "Anyway, it was today because _some_ people wanted to start a fight and I had to clean it up without staining my dress. Do you realize how difficult it was?"

"I can only imagine," Shadow drawled out. They turned off a busy road onto a less populated one, this being a short cut to the hedgehog's apartment.

"But enough about me," Rouge tilted her head at him, teal orbs glinting in curiosity. "Why are you out here so late?" She glanced down at his own clothing, noticing that he wasn't the driest. "And getting my interior wet?"

The hedgehog sighed. He knew Rouge was going to respond negatively to this, almost as bad as he knew Maria was going to. "While coming home from vacation today I crashed my car during a downpour."

The bat's gaze was all over him now. He firmly gestured for her to pay attention to the road; she did so after giving him another once-over. "Seriously? It had to be new too! You had to have gotten it on your break! How did that happen sugar? You don't look seriously hurt…"

"That's because I'm not." Shadow squirmed a little in his damp clothes that was clinging to his aching body. "I…zoned out while driving. I went into a ditch and got out before it exploded."

Rouge pursed her lips, and he inwardly cursed, not wanting her to sense his hesitation. "You? Zoning out? Do you believe yourself hon? I would have believed you more if you had said that a wild elephant chased you off the road. What really happened?"

Shadow himself didn't know the specifics, so how was he going to respond to a question he had no answer to? Saying that he didn't know would make Rouge fret more and start questioning his sanity. He refused to go back to the hospital.

However, the striped hedgehog was saved from making this decision when something caught his eye that made him freeze up. "Stop the car!" He yelled to Rouge, blazing rubies focused on nothing but a wide blood trail that led into a shadowed alleyway.

Shadow barely raised his voice, so his sudden shout had the bat obeying without a question asked. The hedgehog's body jerked forward, but he disregarded that as he quickly took his seatbelt off and hopped out of the car. When Rouge asked where he was going, he just said to call the police.

He knew that he was insane for doing this, but the trail seemed fresh. On the sidewalk now, Shadow jogged along the copper-colored liquid, hoping that whoever's at the end of this was alive. He had it ingrained in his brain from day one to help whenever he could. Despite his borderline antisocial personality, he wouldn't ignore something like this (or Maria would harshly scold him for it).

With streetlights flickering overhead, Shadow slowed down when he got to the mouth of the alley, controlling his breathing as he listened for any signs of life. What he heard made him pause right where the light ended. He recognized sounds that he never thought he would ever hear again.

There was breaking, ripping, and growling…but that wasn't possible. The beast wasn't real. He had…He had imagined it, _all_ of it, so why…

Shadow shook his head to oust those thoughts. He couldn't let his imagination run wild for a second time. Despite everything within him telling the hedgehog to turn and retreat as quickly as possible, Shadow took a step into the darkness, ruby irises squinting as they peered into the nearly impenetrable shade.

The hedgehog's breath left him when he saw the outline of something massive. It had jerky movements, and there was tearing and sloshing that paired with those motions. Shadow was going to call out, but his words caught in his throat his as vision adjusted to the lack of light.

Horrified scarlets took in the familiar monstrous form that wasn't supposed to be real. The thick fur, the bulging muscles, the shredding teeth, and the dangerous claws that weren't supposed to be…

Shadow's frame then froze when he spotted a body on the ground, if he could even call it that anymore. It was…had been…a human, but that was all he could identify. Their face was torn apart and leaking fluids everywhere. The neck was slashed completely open, bubbles gurgling up through the thick blood. Their torso was ripped and the remains of organs were spilling out and…that…that _thing_ was…

When something Shadow could only assume was a rib broke with a resounding snap, he couldn't keep down the food in his stomach. The hedgehog heaved, chunks splattering on the ground in front of him, barely missing his shoes. He was doubled over with his hands on his knees, panting harshly and staring at the mess he had made in terror.

The noises had stopped.

From previous experiences, he knew silence meant that his life was about to crash down all around him.

Swallowing and scrunching his nose up at the taste of his stomach acids and half-digested foods, Shadow's moist gaze slowly left the ground and drifted back up at the unforgettable scene in front of him. His heart skipped a beat when those same animalistic emerald eyes were staring back at him.

The hedgehog was too terrified to look away. One move, and he would become the beast's newest victim, nothing but bleeding parts on the cold concrete.

Those wild green orbs didn't back down either until they began to roam. Shadow watched helplessly as he was looked over, feeling like a trapped mouse in front of the world's hungriest cat. The hedgehog's breath was weak and shallow as the seconds ticked on. He was going to die of a heart attack if this lasted any longer.

Shadow's muscles tensed when those electric jades met his petrified rubies once more. A long and rough tongue licked away some of the blood and red-stained chunks from the monster's muzzle before chapped lips pulled back enough to bare those carmine teeth. A loud snarl impinged the striped one's ears as the beast left the cooling corpse and took a step in Shadow's direction using one of its massive hands.

It was then when the hedgehog's body decided it wanted to move again.

Shadow swiftly backed up a step and panicked when those wild eyes lit up at the movement, the monster crouching low to the ground and looking ready to pounce.

Arm trembling, the hedgehog lifted a hand up as a sign to stop. The beast disregarded it and moved closer, the rumbling in its chest becoming louder. Shadow's trembles now shook his whole body. "S-Stay back!"

The response to his command was unexpected. He didn't expect a voice, especially not _Rouge's_. "Shadow? What's going on in there?" At the sound of clicking heels, Shadow whirled his head in the direction he came. He couldn't let Rouge see this monster, and he couldn't let the beast see _her_ either. "Shadow?"

"Stay back!" The hedgehog repeated, now yelling at both the bat and the killer in front of him. "Just stay!"

The heels stopped. "S-Sugar?"

"Just wait out there!" Rouge didn't answer, but there wasn't any more movement, so Shadow assumed that her fright had out-staged her natural curiosity. The hedgehog, pulse at an erratic hum, didn't take his gaze off the murderer before him. The beast's head was cocked and his pointed ears were perked, listening. _Please don't tell me that it detected her. Don't let it be aware. Please._

The feral sneer that grew on the other's red muzzle told Shadow that his wish wasn't granted.

 _Shit_.

His legs moved before he made a conscious decision to use them. The hedgehog ran out of the alleyway, stumbling over his own feet. He didn't dare look back, not wanting the image of that beast chasing him to haunt him forever. The mental picture of it devouring that person was already going to do so.

Turning the corner, he saw Rouge standing there unsurely until she focused on him. She didn't get a chance to say anything before Shadow grabbed her wrist and practically dragged her back to the car.

"Shadow! What are you-?"

"I'll explain it _later,_ " Shadow cut her off as they ran to the driver's side of the car. He ripped the door open and crawled into the passenger seat, pulling Rouge ungracefully inside as well. "Drive!"

The bat straightened herself in the seat, smoothing out any wrinkles in her dress. Then she gave her passenger an unappreciative glare. "I'm not going _anywhere_ until you tell me why you ran out of there, why you almost made me break my expensive heels, and why…" Her nose scrunched up in disgust, but the worry slowly replaced the anger. "And why did you throw up on yourself?"

Shadow glanced down at his shirt and scowled at the stains there and in his chest fur poking out. " _Drive_ and I'll tell you! This is _not_ the time Rouge!"

The bat frowned but pulled off anyway, speeding away from the blood trail. "Who were you running from? Was a murderer after us or something?" Shadow didn't answer her, and the silence was an implied yes. Rouge's voice gained a more panicked tone. "What the hell hon?! I know you want to be a good citizen and all, but you don't just _follow_ a blood trail!"

The hedgehog wiped his mouth to get rid of any evidence of the food he had eaten earlier. "I've learned my lesson," he muttered, mind whirling as he attempted to slow down his pulse. That beast was real. That meant that he _hadn't_ imagined the same monster attacking him in his car. But then…what about the boy he had picked up? Was him… _turning_ into the beast real too? It couldn't be… Werewolves didn't exist. They were nothing but _fantasy_.

Dammit. If they weren't real, then what in the hell was that thing back there?

Rouge's breathy sigh pulled him from his chaotic thoughts. "Well, it's good that I called the police." Her grip on the steering wheel tightened marginally. "The blood…was its owner…"

It wasn't hard to figure out what she was trying to ask. Shadow almost gagged again at that mental image. "…They were."

"They?"

"It was…" Shadow turned to his head to look out the window, absently staring at the darkened buildings of the lonely street. "…hard to tell."

Rouge gasped. "Oh… I'm glad that you told me to st-" She cut herself off with a surprised cry when something hard and heavy landed on the roof of her car, making the vehicle swerve a bit before righting itself. "What in the world?!" she yelled.

Shadow was too petrified to respond. Then suddenly, the hedgehog's window unexpectedly shattered, sending glass shards everywhere. Shadow jumped as far away from the door as he could and hissed in pain when some glass lodged in his leg. "Shit!"

"What's going on?!"

"Do you think that _I_ know?" Shadow snapped back at her before focusing on the window again only to nearly pass out. There was an upside down bloodied muzzle not a foot away from his face. Disgusting hot breath was puffed across his cheeks, sharp canines promising devastation. Those rabid jade eyes trained on him made his breath fail. He was starting to hate the color green.

The hedgehog dodged a chomping maw by swiftly scooting over to the divider between the two friends, sitting on it and leaning into Rouge's personal space. She was too busy screaming to mind. "Shit Shadow! What – What the hell is _that_?!"

The beast, once it noticed that it was biting nothing but air, changed tactics. It reached its arm in and started to swing its claws back and forth, aiming for Shadow. Said hedgehog ducked when those nails reached to slash his cheek. "Shake it off!" He hysterically shouted, "Shake it off!"

"H-How?! We're on a straight road!"

"Gun it! Make a U-turn! Do _something_ dammit _!_ "

Rouge immediately stepped on the gas and Shadow almost took a tumble into the backseat, but he held on. The sudden increase in speed didn't only affect him; the monster outside his window yelped as it held on to the door. Shadow could hear its body sliding around on the roof.

"Hold on to something!" Rouge advised and the hedgehog gripped the back of her seat with vigor. Shadow lurched when the car instantly curved, the bat gritting her teeth as she fought to gain control of her vehicle. The rodent's ears perked when they heard a thud outside, and he turned his head to see the monster bouncing along the ground, rolling away. Shadow didn't relax yet. They were headed straight for a building.

"Fucking _turn_ Rouge!"

"I'm _trying_ here!"

Shadow jounced up when the tires rolled over the curb of the sidewalk, almost hitting the top of his skull on the roof. The hedgehog closed his eyes when it seemed like they were going to smash headfirst into a store's front doors, but when there wasn't any bending metal or fires, a scarlet iris peered open to see them back on the road, speeding _away_ from the dangerous beast.

It wasn't until they were back in more populated streets with lights and people all over that Shadow deemed it was safe to return back to his seat. The hedgehog carefully brushed as many glass shards out of his seat before settling in it. He winced when he pulled out a couple from his leg. They hurt, but they weren't deep.

Shadow relaxed against the leather, drained beyond belief. However, it didn't stop him from repeatedly gazing into the side or rear view mirrors.

"Shadow…honey…" Said rodent trained his tired eyes on a trembling Rouge who looked like she had just stared death in the face. She might as well have. "What…was that…?"

He had just the answer for her.

"That was the reason for my car crash."

* * *

Shadow collapsed onto his couch in his immaculate living room headfirst, face buried inside a pillow. He heard his apartment door slam and then Rouge's disbelieving words afterwards. "So you're telling me that that... _thing_ followed you back here?"

The hedgehog just grunted into the cushion.

Her heels clanked against the hardwood flooring as she paced. "Sugar, you should have left that _animal_ on the road! It would've woken up and went on with its life! This is just so…" There was a sigh, and Shadow felt a dip where his feet were. "I know I called 9-1-1, but do I need to call Animal Control too?"

The rodent merely shrugged, practically melting into the sofa.

For obvious reasons, Shadow couldn't tell her that he didn't actually pick up that beast, but a regular – he was _seriously_ questioning that now – boy. Finding a lost hedgehog was believable, _not_ transporting a werewolf.

A…werewolf…

Shadow pinched himself and winced. No. Not dreaming.

…fuck.

"Are you listening to me?" At Rouge's question, Shadow turned his head halfway out of the pillow and glanced at her. The bat huffed at his wordless response, but repeated her words anyway. "I said that the police probably has that monster tranquilized and being taken away as we speak." She then examined her nails and frowned when she found a chip. Teal orbs drifted over to the nearest window which showed a high-view of most of the city. "My poor car…"

Shadow resisted the urge to scoff. "It'll be fine. It was just a window."

"Did you _not_ see the scratches in the paint hon? I'm going to be grounded until college!"

"Just explain what happened."

" _Explain?_ Yeah, I'm sure 'I got attacked by a ravenous bear-wolf' would make them understand," she clipped with an eye roll.

Shadow sighed into his pillow. "Tell them that someone tried to steal your car. The scratches and broken glass should sway them."

"…Alright. I'll tell them that, and if they don't believe me, it's your fault." He heard the smirk in her voice.

The hedgehog flipped around so he was laying on his back. He put a hand behind his head, the other one resting on his stomach. "I'll take full responsibility." He then nudged her with his foot, shoes forgotten by the door. His eyes were half-lidded. "You should go before I fall asleep on you."

Rouge smiled, a giggle escaping her lips. She patted his ankle before standing up. "I definitely should; no one wants to be a bad host." The bat sauntered over to the exit as Shadow sat up, bruises pulling as he did so. She glanced back at him, opening the door. "Make sure to get some rest. Goodnight honey."

"Night," Shadow murmured, "And be careful. You never know…"

Rouge nodded, her face falling a bit. "Yeah, I know. See you tomorrow." She gave him a wave before disappearing.

The hedgehog trudged over and closed the door back, locking it. Without wasting another moment, he turned on his heel and left the living room. Strolling through a short hallway, Shadow entered into a doorway on his right, soaking in the sight of his tidy bedroom. Slipping out of his shirt and pants, the striped rodent crawled into his bed only in his underwear and socks, burrowing under the covers.

He would worry more about his clothes, his wounds, and his mythological encounter tomorrow.

He was too tired to do anything else today.

* * *

 **How are you guys liking it so far?**


	3. A normal day?

**Disclaimer- I don't own any of the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **A/N- I'm loving all of the feedback I'm getting for this fic! It really drives me to write…I'm really thankful, ya don't even know. Alrighty, let's start this chapter…**

 **Chapter 3**

Shadow exhaled softly through his nose as he closed his dusty locker, a couple of textbooks tucked into the nook of one arm, his class schedule gripped securely in his dark furred fingers. The striped hedgehog scratched his nose when some of the microscopic dust tickled it, wondering if anyone bothered to lift a finger to clean the building during the summer months.

The bipedal rodent spun the lock for a moment to make sure that no potential thief could pilfer his remaining books and make this Monday live up to its name. Shadow bent down to grab the limp black bookbag situated at his feet, opening it up and dumping his books within, careful to not bend the nearly empty folders already inside.

He stood back up and shrugged the light sack onto his shoulders, more than grateful that his injuries from the night before had healed. His bruises were gone, and the small gash he had on his temple healed up nicely as well. He assumed that they were all minor wounds which took care of themselves overnight, which was a pleasant surprise.

Shadow had not questioned it however, since a call from Maria had demanded all of his attention. He had barely rolled out of the bed before he had to gently calm down the frantic blonde. His words were hardly heard over the panicked panting and the 'Are you okay?', the 'Are you sure?', and the 'This is all my fault!' phrases that were constantly on repeat.

Shadow loved his sister, yes, but there were times when she exasperated him to his limit.

This was one of those times.

So after explaining to her that he was fine – about ten times – and expounding on the events leading up to his crash, which may or may not include being distracted by an adorable puppy he had rescued from the side of the road, the hedgehog verbally pushed her to focus on her education and refrain from worrying about him.

She had relented, and Shadow's energy was already drained before he had stepped foot into the high school.

Jaded scarlets drifted downwards to stare at his slightly creased schedule. He had studied the words there many times earlier in the morning, but he wanted to believe that he had been hallucinating. Unfortunately, he wasn't. He had calculus first block. The _perfect_ way to begin every single one of his days at Station Square High.

Now, Shadow didn't dislike math – quite the opposite – but even he knew that having it first thing was going to be hell.

"You ready sugar?"

Hearing Rouge's question above the uproar of voices coming from the swarm of students trying to find their lockers and/or classrooms, the hedgehog glanced over at her. She was leaning against the row of lockers beside his, purple bookbag squished between the metal and her body. She was raising an eyeshadowed brow at him, ignoring all of the jealous or roaming gazes from the teens nearby.

Shadow silently nodded at her, stepping away from his locker. When the bat held her immaculate hand out, he handed over the wrinkled piece of paper. They began to walk as she studied it.

"Thank you again for driving me, Rouge," Shadow muttered sincerely as they went, nearly brushing shoulders to avoid losing each other in the sea of both anthros and humans. Her presence at his door just when he was about to head out to catch the bus was unexpected, but highly appreciated.

Her chuckle was light and knowing. "That's the second time today you told me that hon. One more time and I'd think that hell was freezing over." She grinned at him. "What kind of friend would I be to let you ride that disgusting bus? And plus, I have to treat you somehow for that 'someone tried to steal my car' excuse my parents believed."

The hedgehog absently tugged at a loose thread on the side of his purple polo shirt, which accidentally matched the bat's violet jumpsuit. "I told you that they would buy it."

Rouge just hummed before refocusing her attention on the paper, a painted nail slowly dragging over the words before stopping. The smirk she suddenly wore didn't settle well in Shadow's stomach.

"What?" he asked, brow marginally furrowed.

"Oh nothing," the bat responded too innocently. She gave him the sheet back, and Shadow looked over it, wondering what could have prompted such a response out of his companion. Nothing stood out to him. Rouge continued as he searched. "We have psychology together today, history and gym tomorrow. And if I remember right… Amy's going to be in our psych class, and well…you're by yourself with her in chemistry tomorrow. Also, I can see gym being pretty entertaining."

The scowl appeared on his muzzle before he could stop it.

There were light pats on his shoulder. "Don't be so hard on her, hon. She means well."

"You say that…" Shadow huffed, picturing the cotton candy colored hedgehog bouncing towards him with an overly bright smile on her face. Amy Rose was too friendly, too touchy, and too much of a people person. However, the worst thing was that she was Rouge's best female friend. There was no getting away from her. Summer had been a breath of fresh air. Shadow was thankful he only had three classes with her.

"I know that she's a hopeless romantic, but what can you do?" Rouge shrugged, an amused tone in her voice. "She's toned it down since last year."

"I'm sure she has." The disbelief was radiating off of him in waves. He would believe that when he saw it.

Rouge grinned again at him before they lapsed into silence, listening to snippets of conversations they managed to glean as they traversed the wide hallways.

Not three minutes later, the duo came across Shadow's classroom. They separated with her saying "Good luck" and waving. The hedgehog returned the gesture – albeit a little less obviously – as he entered, thinking that because it was the first day, maybe calc wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

He was wrong.

 _Damnit_ …He hated it when he was wrong.

Mr. Tower was a fucking tyrant. The human teacher had gotten straight to work after passing out syllabi. They had a pile of worksheets already to complete on the material that summer had washed out of Shadow's mind. The students could have worked in partners or alone, and Shadow had chosen the latter since he was technically by himself in the class, surrounded by peers he never paid attention to.

The volume never rose above a whisper. Tower's intimidating presence refused to allow voices from even the most vocal of students to become nothing more than a murmur.

Shadow just scanned his schedule as he roamed the halls again, wandering to his next class. If English was anything like his math one, he may have to convince Gerald to homeschool him.

It took a while, but the striped hedgehog eventually made it to his destination. Shadow gazed at the desks filled with both anthros and humans alike, chatting with one another. The atmosphere was completely different from the oppressive one Shadow had to experience before. It wasn't long until he figured out why. The teacher wasn't in the room yet.

There were few empty desks left. The hedgehog made his way toward an available one more towards the back, not caring about walking right in the middle of several groups' conversations.

He slid into his seat and dropped his bookbag on the floor, waiting for the late bell to ring. He was all for sitting quietly, but he felt peering eyes on him. He ignored it for a moment, not in the mood for any type of interaction; however, whoever was doing it was persistent.

Irritated rubies snapped to his left to see an unfamiliar red echidna leaning forward in his desk who had his arms folded on top of the wood, chin tucked into the vermilion fur. A bland blue t-shirt barely hid a muscular frame. Vivid amethyst colored irises continued to focus on Shadow, despite being caught doing the action.

The striped hedgie narrowed his own eyes. The hostility within the echidna's orbs did not go unnoticed. "Do you have a problem?" he instigated, since it seemed that the other wasn't going to.

"It depends," a gruff voice responded, and Shadow detected the way the boy's jaw subtly clenched. "Are you Shadow Robotnik?"

The hedgehog debated answering, trying to understand the echidna's random enmity for him. He nodded curtly after a second. "I am."

Those violet irises roamed his frame before there was a derisive scoff, seemingly unimpressed with whatever he saw. That was the echidna's only response before red lids closed and the boy's body relaxed.

Shadow frowned. However, before he could attempt to understand what just happened, a loud bell rang that signaled tardiness and apparently also the appearance of their teacher.

A very large and very youthful green crocodile ran into the room, looking more like a fellow student than an English teacher. The man had on a collared shirt with a loose tie hanging around his neck. His cargo pants were wrinkled and had what seemed like a dried coffee stain on the left leg.

The tall reptile rubbed the back of his neck and grinned bashfully, showing off his razor teeth. "Sorry I'm late class! I had to go to the opposite side of this floor to use the teacher bathroom because _someone_ wanted to spill baby oil all over the floor! I mean c'mon! It's the first day!" A handful of students began to snicker, and the croc rolled his eyes as he walked over to his desk. "Okay, it wasn't a _bad_ prank, but still! They could've picked a day that I _wasn't_ about to wet myself!"

Black ears flickered at the loud and boisterous voice of the adult, wondering if this was an actual step up from the tyrant he had before. It was. No matter how obnoxious this teacher ended up being, Shadow wouldn't get to the stage of being scared for his life. Also, perhaps the crocodile hadn't been fired from his job yet because of his ability to keep students awake.

The scaled anthro adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. He placed a hand on his chest and gave the crowd a beaming smile. "Alright! Time for introductions! The name's Mr. Vector! Y'all don't need my last name, because you aren't usin' it!" He clapped his hands. "Any brave volunteers up for sharing somethin' about themselves?"

Silence.

Vector barked out a laugh that rang in Shadow's sensitive ears. "Of course not! So, let me get the ball rollin' here by picking one of you unlucky souls myself!" When the croc's yellow gaze scanned the room and stopped in the striped hedgehog's general area, Shadow assumed the worst. The grin on the teacher's face forced him to accept his fate.

However, Vector didn't call anyone out. Instead, he palmed a pen, aimed, and hurled it right at his neighbor's forehead.

"Yo echidna! Why don't you WAKE UP and speak for us?" Vector tapped his foot as the class watched on in amusement when the red anthro woke up with a hiss, rubbing the sore area. "I'm sure EVERYONE would _love_ to know the name of the kid who got sniped."

Laughter filled the room as the boy scowled, the expression made ineffective because of the embarrassed flush crawling over his cheeks. "It's Knuckles…"

"Great! Knuckles, just so you know, I have _plenty_ of pens up here. _Try_ me again and see what happens!"

Shadow smirked. This class might not be so bad.

* * *

The striped hedgehog scrunched his nose up at the (questionably) edible options in front of him. Going with the lesser of two evils, Shadow placed the burnt pizza on his tray which formed a puddle of grease under it. It was heaps better than the mystery-meat loaf.

After scooping a mound of peas and grabbing a water bottle, he turned away from the food line and faced the massive cafeteria filled with stains on the floor, trash on the multitude of tables, and students chewing with their mouths open.

Dispassionate reds scanned the spacious area in an attempt to spot a familiar face. One that belonged to a specific bat, to be precise.

Shadow eventually spotted her in the corner of the room, claiming a table that could comfortably sit a handful of people. His feet began to walk in that direction, careful to not step into any of the unidentifiable mush on the ground.

When he was about halfway there, another body collided with his that almost knocked his tray right out of his hands. Shadow didn't know what was happening for a good while, but that was until he saw pink and felt an arm loop around his own. His body automatically tensed, and his mood plummeted.

"Shadow! It's been so long since I've seen you! How was your summer?"

The hedgehog glanced down to see curious jade orbs looking back up at him. The smile beneath them were too wide. Shadow would have peeled her off of his side if his hands weren't already occupied. He kept walking, the girl keeping in step with him.

"It was fine, Rose," Shadow retorted, annoyance clear in his tone.

For once, Amy picked up on it. "Aw, we're back to that? I thought you'd start calling me by my actual name now because you did by the end of last year…"

That was a mistake. Shadow had accidently, as Amy put it, 'reached the next step of their relationship' when he had called her by her birth given name for the first time. He hadn't been thinking. It was a slip of the tongue.

' _She's toned it down since last year'. Sure, Rouge…_

The pinkette sighed, tightening her grip on him, a home-brought lunch box in her other hand. "Well, it doesn't hurt starting over." Her expression brightened, and he inwardly sighed. "We have some of the same classes, yeah? Rouge told me! That's great, especially with chemistry. I'm definitely going to need a tutor for that…"

Shadow blocked her words out as he moved toward the table. He soon stepped into Rouge's line of sight, and the bat snickered at the image of her pink friend hanging off his arm. "I see that you two met."

"Of course!" Amy chirped, finally tearing herself away from him and sitting beside Rouge at the rectangular table. Shadow settled down opposite of the bat, setting down his tray. The pinkette opened up her lunch box and pulled out a sandwich. "My day totally got better!"

"I'm sure it has, Pinky." Rouge grinned as she shoveled some ranched lettuce into her awaiting mouth. Swallowing, she turned to Shadow who was trying desperately to sooth his hunger by eating the nice looking parts of the pizza. There weren't many. "What about yours hon?"

The striped rodent wiped some grease from his lips. "Just great."

Amy drank some juice to help down her ham sandwich. She giggled to herself. "Believe it or not, I'm _so_ glad that summer's over so we could be back together again." She gestured at Rouge and then at Shadow. "I know that we hung out some times Rouge, but with your summer job and Shadow gone, it just wasn't the same."

The bat shook her head in jest before pinching the pink one's cheek. "I missed you too, sugar." She pulled back when Amy playfully slapped her hand away, laughing. "Now, instead of work and distance separating us, homework and projects will do that ten times as well."

Shadow nibbled his pizza. One could only hope.

Amy waved her off, brushing her bubble gum bangs out of her face. "Not really! We could always study together after school!" The pinkette's mood changed so quickly that even Shadow paused in his eating to study the anomaly. There was a frown on Amy's muzzle now, and she looked concerned. "Well, we're going to have to be careful going out though…"

"Why?" Rouge asked as her friend wiped crumbs off her red dress.

"You didn't see the news this morning?" Amy blinked over at her. Rouge shook her head, and Shadow wondered exactly where this was going. Rose seemed slightly distressed now, lowering her voice. "They say that a murderer is loose in the city!"

Shadow nearly dropped his pizza, that one statement violently bringing back all of the memories of yesterday to the forefront of his brain. A murderer…was loose… Shadow shook that thought away. No. That _beast_ was taken care of by the authorities. Whatever beast it was…

The bat and striped hedgie locked gazes, and Shadow knew that they were thinking about the same thing. Rouge refocused on the pink rodent. "How do they know that hon? What did they show?"

"It was a wide angled shot," Amy began somewhat shakily, "There was a _huge_ pile of bodies in an alley just… _torn_ apart! Most of them were police officers, but I think they said that one was a regular person…" She shook her head sadly. "It's just horrible…and whoever did it is still out there!"

 _An alley? Police officers? Torn apart?_ Shadow's heart hammered loudly in his chest. It couldn't be. Was that monster still out there somewhere? Prowling, watching, _feeding_? Shocked scarlets snapped over to the closest window, gazing out of it at the trees and streets outside.

But then again… If…If it _was_ a werewolf…then the monster wouldn't exactly be a beast at the moment, right? Shadow couldn't believe he had stooped down to this level of thinking, but he knew what he had experienced. Even though what happened should have been impossible…

"Shadow?" Said hedgehog's train of thought derailed as he looked back at Rouge. She was showing concern, but he saw the fear in her eyes. She knew of the beast and what it could do. She had the right to be afraid. "You okay over there?"

"Yeah. I just zoned out for a moment," Shadow muttered, taking a sip of his water to calm his nerves.

"I'm sure that there's no need to worry though," Amy said, giving the striped one a small smile. "The police have tons of evidence now… They may have already caught him! But we still have to be careful just in case…"

She trailed off, and the table became quiet. Shadow absently played with his peas, watching blankly as Rouge looked out of the window herself, a single nail tapping against her plastic tray. If only he hadn't ran over that stranger, his life would have been completely normal. That boy…had to be out there, somewhere. But where? Shadow didn't want to know.

His gaze shifted off of Rouge's hand and onto Amy when the pinkette gasped and started to wave at someone behind Shadow. "Look Rouge!" She exclaimed, getting the bat to look to where she was waving. Shadow rose a brow when a smirk grew. "It's Knuckles! We can get him to sit over here!"

"Knuckles?" Shadow whirled his head around to see the same echidna from his English class making his way over through the crowd. He instantly regretted not sitting by Rouge. The hedgehog turned forward and sat up slightly in his seat, frown marring his muzzle. "You know him?"

Amy cocked her head at him before sending a questioning glance Rouge's way. "You didn't tell him about Knuckles?"

Rouge shrugged, wings shifting with the movement. "I didn't think that he would care."

"Never stopped you before," Shadow murmured.

"True." She chuckled. "Alright, since you're so _curious_ , Knuckles is a new…friend."

 _Project_ , Shadow instantly substituted. _Now I think I know why he was hostile before._

"Over the summer he applied at the club as a bus boy, and well, he's interesting, to say the least."

"I'm sure he is," Shadow drawled out just as the topic of their discussion reached the table.

"Hey Rouge, Amy." The striped hedgehog didn't look as Knuckles slid in beside him.

The pinkette beamed at the echidna. "How have your classes at SS High been? Pretty good?"

"Hell."

Shadow couldn't help but snort when the image of a flying pen projected itself in his mind.

There was a shift beside him, and he felt the heated glare again. "Is there somethin' funny?"

At the growl, Shadow glanced at the newcomer, the ghost of a smirk present for all to see. "No. I'm just agreeing with you. They must've been rough for you, hm?" The scowl the red one was sending his way deepened, and the snap of a plastic fork reached his ears. Shadow marginally lifted his chin. "Are you planning on starting something, echidna?"

"You better watch it, _hedgehog,_ " Knuckles retorted lowly, "I already don't like you. It won't take much for me to rearrange your _face_."

"Whoa whoa boys!" At Rouge's voice, both rubies and amethysts swiveled over to stare at her. She was glancing in between them two, clearly amused, but confused as well. She had her cheek cradled in her palm, twirling her fork. "Why do I get the feeling that you two know each other?"

"We have English together," Shadow said and heard Knuckles grunt in affirmation.

"And you already don't like each other?" Amy inquired, seemingly not happy about this turn of events. "What happened?"

None of the boys answered her. Shadow had a theory, but if the echidna wasn't going to say it, he wasn't either.

Rouge pursed her lips before slyly grinning. "I think I know." She turned to her newest friend. "Knuckles, honey, Shadow isn't a clingy ex, and he won't ever be available. Are you happy now?"

The echidna blinked before stabbing his meat loaf and shoveling some into his mouth, pointedly looking away. However, he wasn't fast enough to hide his second embarrassed blush of today.

Shadow chewed his peas in peace the rest of lunch.

* * *

"You're going home?"

Shadow shrugged on his backpack after cleaning off his desk. His schedule was folded up deep in his pocket, not of use anymore. The bell had rang, ending class. Ms. Vanilla was at the door, waving her students goodbye as they left. She was the nicest and most encouraging teacher Shadow had ever met; he knew that psychology was going to be an easy subject.

He nodded at an inquisitive Rouge as he moved away from his seat. "Yeah. There's no point in staying here if I can leave." Study hall for seniors was optional. One could either sit until the end of the school day, or leave. Shadow sure as hell wasn't going to waste any more time here if he could get started on that damn math homework in the comfort of his apartment.

"You're so lucky!" Amy piped as she fell into step beside him, Rouge on the other. "I would've signed up for study hall, but my parents don't believe in free-time during school hours." She sighed. "I could go for a nap right now…"

"You can say that again hon," Rouge agreed as they walked out, all three saying their goodbyes to the rabbit.

"Well, my next class is that way." Amy motioned a thumb over her shoulder. The pinkette pulled Rouge and Shadow in for a group hug that the latter didn't anticipate nor appreciate. Amy pulled away and waved as she walked off. "See you both tomorrow!"

"See ya, Pinky," Rouge responded, returning the gesture. When she disappeared, the bat turned to Shadow, expression serious. "Are you sure about leaving? I could always drive you home if you stay."

"I know you could," Shadow breathed out.

"That… _thing_ is still out there."

"I know that too Rouge." He raked a hand through his quills. "The bus stop is barely a five minute walk from here, and the bus will drop me off two minutes from my apartment. Nothing's going to happen," he reassured both her and himself.

His friend just stared for a moment before nodding. "Alright, just…be safe okay? And _text_ me when you get in. If you don't…"

"I _will_. Don't worry," Shadow insisted as he strolled away from her. "See you later," he called over his shoulder, giving her a limp wave.

 _I doubt any crashes will prevent me from doing that today._

* * *

 _ **Shadow:**_ _I'm home._

 _ **Rouge:**_ _Good. Now I can stop picturing you as a little fluffy chew toy._

 _ **Shadow:**_ _I'm not fluffy._

 _ **Rouge:**_ _Mhmm._

Shadow pocketed his phone before locking his living room door, glad to be inside and not out in the open. He leaned his forehead against the door, relaxing his wary muscles. He waited until his pulse returned back to normal before taking off his shoes, pushing away from the wood, and dumping his bag haphazardly on the couch.

The hedgehog trudged to the nearest window and opened it, letting the gentle breeze ruffle his quills and help him unwind. Shadow propped himself on the sill and watched the city from above, thankful that he wasn't down in those streets anymore.

He had been paranoid, for good reason. The second he left the high school, he felt like he was being watched. It didn't go away when he got on the transit bus, when he was riding on it, or when he was two steps from his apartment's lobby. When he was inside, the feeling was gone, but the paranoia didn't abide until he had locked the door.

He didn't know if he was crazy, or if someone was actually stalking him, but he was hoping for the former. That one led to the potentially less dangerous outcome.

Shadow stood there for a couple more minutes until he decided to get his homework done now so he wouldn't have to rush later.

Leaving his window open to allow the wind to bring in fresh air, Shadow trudged over to his bag and plopped down on the soft couch. He opened the sack, retrieving a pencil and his math folder. He was about to open the latter item, but a loud siren blared from the streets below, causing Shadow to sigh. Having an open widow seemed like a good idea about thirty seconds ago.

The striped rodent stood up to shut the glass and promptly froze when he looked over.

There balancing on his sill was a blue hedgehog. The same blue hedgehog he had _ran_ _over._ He was there. His unruly cobalt quills were splattered with blood; the same congealing liquid was present on his clawed fingers gripping the sides and around his _mouth_.

The intruder was just as naked as he was when Shadow had first encountered him, but the darker occupant wasn't paying attention to the other's body anymore. He was focused on those eyes. Those wild emerald eyes that he had seen too many times.

Those unwavering wild emerald eyes that rooted him to the spot.

Shadow's pulse had turned into rapid-fire. This was no different from staring at that massive beast. This was no different because…because the boy _was_ the ravenous monster.

Shit…shit… _shit._

Panicked scarlet orbs flickered over to his front door. He could sprint over and unlock it easy enough, but who knew how fast the other was? Should he call the police? Yell as loud as he could?

When Shadow faced the intruder again, he couldn't keep in the frenzied shout when he realized that the blue hedgehog's face was not five inches away from his. "Fuck!" he shrieked as he stumbled backwards in surprise and terror, falling back onto his couch. Before he had a chance to frantically jump back up, the bluer one was leaning over him with his red painted hands positioned on either side of Shadow's head.

With the stench of blood twisting Shadow's gut and the sight of the boy scowling down at him with sharp canines causing his anxiety to kick in full-throttle, he had to fight hard not to vomit then and there.

A guttural growl emitted from the intruder's chest, the sound making black furred ears flatten themselves completely. Shadow closed his eyes and waited for the boy to rip his throat out, to tear through his chest, or to snap his neck. All he wished was his death to be quick.

 _Maria…please don't miss me too much…_

But then the unexpected happened. A low and raspy voice that couldn't have been used for _years_ passed through those shearing teeth and bloody lips in the form of a question, breathing out rancid hot air that fanned across Shadow's muzzle.

"What do you want?"

…

… _What the hell?_

* * *

 **Aannnnd cut! That's it for today folks!**

 **I'd love to hear your feedback on Shadow's group of 'friends' and his mysterious visitor!**

 **Hope you enjoyed :D**


	4. Silver and Gold

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **A/N- I know that you guys hated me for that cliffhanger, but I hope that this chapter was worth the wait! There's no need to shed any tears…I'm looking at you, Procrastination X)**

 **Chapter 4**

"What do you want?"

Shadow could barely process the question, the stench and the threat of becoming this monster's next meal being effective distractions. However, when the words eventually registered in the hedgehog's overstimulated brain, confusion instantly mixed in with the dread and terror.

… _What the hell?_

Black eyelids opened to reveal terrified scarlet irises that stared warily up at the bloody intruder. The blue hedgehog had to be toying with him. He had to like playing with his food before he saw the life drain from their eyes. He had to because _Shadow_ was the one targeted, stalked, and attacked _…_

However, the striped rodent didn't see anything but those wild emeralds boring down on him with a distinct downturn of lips, only the unnaturally sharp canines visible. He was seriously waiting for an answer, but Shadow couldn't formulate one at the moment. His brain and mouth weren't communicating with one another. Shadow was left gaping like a fish out of water.

His shocked-induced silence apparently wasn't appreciated because the intruder snapped his jaw right in the place Shadow's nose would have been if he hadn't pushed himself as far into the couch cushion as he possibly could. Shadow could feel the rage radiating off the other, and the accompanying deep snarls made the captor dig deep into his mind to relocate his ability to speak.

His tongue was thick and heavy, more of a hindrance than a help in the endeavor. "I don't know what the f-fuck you're talking about!"

Shadow felt agonizing pain blossom from his cheek when his head was suddenly whipped to the side. He couldn't hold in the gasp when a clawed hand pressed relentlessly against his skull, the soft fabric of the sofa only helping so much.

"You're _lying_ ," a malicious voice hissed in his twitching ear while his rapidly beating heart threatened to burst out of his chest. Shadow didn't know what to do. He was trapped, and a being that had crawled out of a child's worst nightmare was harshly pinning him down, not caring about the precious life beneath him. Shadow knew that he was nothing but a juicy steak to the other, ready to be devoured.

But what could he _do?_

The darker hedgehog cried out when the oppressing hand curled and those filthy nails _pushed._ Panicking at the horrid feeling of his skin breaking, Shadow tried desperately to push the monster off of him, planting both of his open palms on the cobalt intruder and shoving with all that he had.

Those electric emerald orbs stayed right where they were.

Shadow shouted when more weight was put on the stabbing talons, and it was subsequently cut off when a bloodied and calloused hand muffled his tortured voice. The beast then jerked his arm to the side, and the striped rodent's scream was nearly muted as well when his cheek was ripped open, blood immediately dripping down the torn skin.

The pain was unbearable. His face from right below his temple to the top of his chin felt like it was on fire. Shadow was paralyzed as the fluid leaked from his head, staining the cushion under him. He didn't dare move, his respiration rate damn near hyperventilation. He was hurting so much, _too_ much; he couldn't deal with any more.

Shadow Robotnik wasn't known to cry, but shit…blood wasn't the only substance streaming down his severely wounded face.

Moist scarlets squeezed shut as a single clawed finger dug deep into the shredded skin and scraped the muscle there; the bleeding hedgehog bit his lip to keep from screaming again, the fire turning into a blazing inferno that he mentally _begged_ to be put out.

The taste of copper was on his own tongue now, lining his mouth as it spurted out of the hole Shadow's teeth had unintentionally made. He refused to swallow it; he didn't want to have _anything_ in common with the beast. Shadow pushed it out with a pink taste budded muscle, shuddering when his tongue accidentally brushed against the hand covering his mouth. The thought of how many organs that appendage had torn into made the Robotnik gag, cringing when the subtle movement agitated his searing injury.

The rough hand lost contact with his muzzle. Shadow opened up his eyes again only to freeze in horror at the sight of the boy slowly lapping at the thick fluids on his palm like it was ice cream on a cone. The killer then moved to the fingers of his other hand, sucking off the pieces of skin that were stuck on and under his claws.

Burnt pizza, peas, and stomach acid welled up in Shadow's throat, and he forced it down with a painful gulp. The disgusting foods mixed in with the blood at the back of the rodent's mouth; that aftertaste alone almost prompted the contents of his stomach to be sprayed all over his hardwood floor.

The murderer was staring hard at him, the heat in his gaze impossible to ignore. His red mouth moved, uncovering similarly stained teeth, and Shadow's insides twisted knowing that his blood was now part of the intruder's growing collection.

"You know." The stranger brought his head down to get eye-level with the wounded hedgehog. Teeth were bared again as a raspy gruff voice slipped past them once more, forceful and certain. "I feel the pull. You _can't_ tell me that-"

Jaded rubies widened when the other's whole body lurched. The boy grabbed at his own throat and started to cough, which quickly turned into painful sounding wheezes. Shadow watched in shock as his attacker backed off of him, struggling to breathe. Carmine painted hands dropped to the floor a second before the bluer one projectile vomited on the ground, clear and red fluids filled with unidentifiable bits mixed within them splattered against the ground, a large puddle of sick forming around those clawed fingers.

Shadow shakily sat up on the couch, careful to not move his head much unless he wanted to feel the equivalent of shards of glass mangling his face. Blood flowed down from his chin and into his formerly pure white chest fur, but Shadow couldn't take his flabbergasted gaze off of the dry heaving hedgehog in front of him kneeling on the ground.

The striped rodent then tore himself away from the sight, training his still damp red orbs on his front door. He could make a run for it while the intruder was distracted, because he knew that he definitely would be out sped during any other situation.

However, before he could so much shift his foot in the direction of his life and freedom, the retching sounds stopped, and Shadow inwardly cursed, slowly turning back to focus on the trespasser whose deadly green irises were filled to the brim with lethal venom.

A growl so loud and deep shook the boy's whole chest as he wiped the leftover bile from his lips. The beast didn't bother with coherent words as he pounced on Shadow, the victim not seeing anyone move so fast _ever_.

That was the only awed thought that flowed through his spent mind before the dirty body collided with his, the collision so powerful that the couch tipped back because of the intruder's momentum. Shadow landed hard on his back, the impact tensing his muscles up in pain. The action also jarred the gashes on his cheek, which just added icing on the cake.

"Shit! Damnit!" he swore, face throbbing.

Shadow's attempt to squirm out from under the one straddling him was futile. The boy wasn't heavy at all, but he had never felt this weak. The red striped anthro's breath hitched when a forearm pressed down on his windpipe, effectively cutting off most of the air flow to his lungs. Shadow thrashed, desperately needing more oxygen, but the limb didn't budge, and the sneer directed at him was aloof and uncaring.

"What…" Teeth were gnashed as the blue rodent snarled. "What did you _do_ to me?"

Then to Shadow's surprise and relief, the weight was lifted up some – but not much – so he could get the minimal amount of air he needed to stay conscious. He wheezed and panted, stunned at the most…unthreatening expression Shadow had seen the boy wear on his face.

The emerald irises were still wild and unpredictable. The hate hadn't left, but something akin to curiosity swirled within their depths. A blue head was tilted marginally as those orbs narrowed, taking in Shadow's features and frame. Chapped lips were pulled into a straight line, not scowling, glowering, or even frowning. They were simply unmoving.

Shadow didn't know if the intense pain and suffering had made him crack, but he couldn't help but compare the look to one a confused child would use when studying something new.

A confused, murder obsessed, and cannibalistic little child.

The voice was still gruff from apparent disuse, but it didn't promise death and agony. "What…are you?"

It seemed like the boy had a knack for asking questions that should be aimed at _himself._

Before Shadow could formulate an answer that could possibly save his life, a loud and swift knock on his front door did his job for him.

"Police! We're coming in!"

The attacked hedgehog couldn't measure the amount of the relief that flooded into his body when the male voice echoed around his apartment. However, it was short lasting when the murderer whirled around and growled at the closed door. For a moment, Shadow was concerned for the life of the officer outside, but then there was a sudden blur and the blue boy was gone.

The wounded anthro glanced over to his open window, hoping that the killer would land wrong and snap his neck. However, despite the six floors of open air, Shadow couldn't help but believe that the hedgehog would miraculously survive the fall.

His body jerked when his door was violently kicked open. From his current position, he couldn't see with the obtrusive overturned couch in his way. Cursing under his breath, Shadow carefully sat up and eventually got his feet under him, face still dripping.

He instantly put his hands in the air when cocked guns were aimed at him and let them hang loosely as the weapons were lowered. Shadow rose a finger to prod at his open wound, but he subtly shook his head, discouraging himself. That was a horrible idea.

There were two officers, one male and one female. The latter was obviously the one in charge; experienced violet eyes darted everywhere, absorbing all of the scene. He heard the human suck in a breath at all of the blood and gore before focusing on Shadow himself, her gaze zeroed in on his mangled cheek.

"We were called in about a disturbance," she stated.

"Severe understatement," Shadow tiredly muttered, his adrenaline wearing off. He never knew that complete and utter terror drained so much energy.

"Look at all of this blood…fuck…" Her partner, a red and black armadillo, wasn't as composed because he looked sick in the face, especially at the sight of the vomit on the floor.

"Language," she snapped at him before giving Shadow her full attention. "What happened here?"

He couldn't exactly say that a wild werewolf had tried and almost succeeded in having him for an early dinner. "Someone climbed in through my open window and attacked me." Shadow bobbed his head in the direction of the glass, moving his mouth as little as he could to avoid unnecessary pain. "He got me with his knife before jumping out when you two arrived. I didn't get a good look at him…" he murmured. If they didn't catch his bluff, they had a better chance of surviving.

The man – avoiding all of the liquids – quickly jogged over to the window and peered out of it, gun at the ready. "The guy has to be a damn magician or something." Nearly black irises glanced back at his companion. "Do you think that it's the same person?"

"If it is…" She approached Shadow and gently put a finger beneath the hedgehog's chin, marginally turning his head to examine the injury. "You're lucky to be alive kid. Be glad that this complex has thin walls." The officer grabbed the rodent's wrist and softly tugged it, leaning in the direction of the open door. "Come on."

He didn't have it in him to question or resist.

Once in the hallway, the sandy haired woman began talking to another hedgehog who was leaning against the wall, an uncomfortable expression on his face. His white quills were messy, his light blue tee was a size too big, and his sweatpants were ruffled. The newcomer's nose was scrunched up, and Shadow assumed that the stench of blood was to blame.

"Can you take him to the hospital? He needs stitches. He can't drive in his condition."

Liquid golden irises switched from her to Shadow. The light rodent shrugged like he didn't care, but Shadow could tell that he was a bit uneasy. The piercing yellows didn't leave him. "I…guess I could. If that's okay with you."

The striped hedgie sighed, breath heavy and exhausted. "As long as my face gets fixed, I don't care."

"Good." The female cop stepped away from the both of them, radioed in back to her station, and disappeared into Shadow's room, the door shutting with a thud.

The wounded rodent was left alone with the white hedgehog that was fixated on his horrid injury. "Whoa…that must really hurt…"

Shadow wasn't in the mood for this. He was dripping in the middle of the hallway. "If you aren't going to drive me, then-"

Startled eyes blinked before a hand rubbed the back of a pale neck. "Heh…sorry…" The chuckles were forced. "I'll uh…go get my keys!" He was about to move, but, unexpectedly, an open palm was held out in front of Shadow. Lips pulled back in a friendly smile. "I guess you should know my name before getting in a car with me, huh? I'm Silver!"

The striped hedgehog stared dispassionately at the hand before drifting his gaze up to the newly named Silver's face. "Shadow."

Silver pulled back his offered palm, the smile now strained and quivering. "Okay…" He waved as he jogged over to the door that apparently led to his own apartment right next to Shadow's. "I'll be right back!"

The Robotnik didn't respond. As soon as the other was out of sight, rubies shifted over to his closed apartment, hearing muffled mutters and the shifting of items. Shadow doubted that he would get his home back today.

A door slammed. He turned his head in the direction of footsteps. Shadow was taken aback to see Silver approaching him with what seemed to be a fitted sheet. He was too confused to push the hedgehog away when the cloth was wrapped around his shoulders. It was like he was wearing a cape.

"It's so you won't drip everywhere…" Silver explained, rubbing a piece of the sheet between his forefinger and thumb. A lopsided grin grew on his muzzle. "And so you won't stain my seats." In his other hand was his keys, and he jingled them a bit. "Let's go, yeah?"

Shadow couldn't argue against keeping things clean, so he just nodded and followed the white rodent as Silver briskly walked over to the elevator at the end of the hall. The button was pushed, and they stood side by side for the lift to arrive. Shadow felt eyes on him, and he deemed that Silver was floundering for a topic to initiate conversation. Either that or he was waiting for Shadow to start talking. He would be waiting for a while then.

The ride was quiet as well, and it wasn't until they reached the lobby that Silver's somewhat nasally voice reached his ears. "So uh…do you go to school around here?"

Shadow knew that it wouldn't last. Ignoring the curious and worried glances from the occupants of the lobby, he answered curtly, "Station Square High."

"Really?" Gold orbs lit up and Shadow instantly regretted responding. The white hedgehog seemed a little _too_ excited. "I'll be going there too! Well…in about a week or so."

The striped hedgie couldn't help raising a brow at that. A new student missing the first week of school wasn't heard of and very stupid if Shadow had to be brutally honest. Though, he was sure that the boy had a good explanation for it.

"Hey, don't give me that look! I just moved here today and my parents-"

Shadow stopped listening when they stepped outside. He hissed under his breath when the flowing winds stung his open wound. However, his pain was quickly forgotten when he felt eyes on him again. Eyes that weren't meant to be seen. Shadow froze, his whole body tense as he scanned his surroundings, scarlets snapping in every direction.

That boy was watching him again, no doubt.

But _why?_

Shadow rewound back to their rather violent encounter and to the words spoken to him. He couldn't make sense of it. First, the murderer had stalked him and asked _him_ what _he_ wanted, and then said that Shadow was pulling him? That was all insane blabber. Maybe that _was_ the blue hedgehog's version of playing with his food, catching them off guard and confusing them.

Damnit… Maybe he should have told the police who the fuck almost ended his life, then the boy would have a bullet in his skull. Perhaps he didn't need to, since that thing was covered in blood and couldn't be too hard to track. Shadow just hoped that they didn't end up like the cops Rouge had called.

The boy wasn't in his monstrous form…so he couldn't do as much damage, right?

Shadow blinked when a light hand shook his shoulder. Concern was etched in Silver's features. "H-Hey man, are you alright? I've been trying to get your attention for a while…"

The striped anthro covertly shook away the contact. "I'm fine. Where's your car?"

The worry was still present as Silver jacked a thumb over his shoulder. His ride had to be somewhere past the police car parked that obstructed the view. "Over there, but are you sure that-"

"Let's go then." Shadow borderline commanded, and the white rodent nodded. As they walked, the gaze boring into him from the shadows never let up. He never wanted to get to a hospital faster in his life.

* * *

Shadow stroked the bandages on his face covering his multitude of stitches as the old-schooled truck rumbled back into the apartment's parking lot. He felt the sutures slightly pulling his skin underneath, and he knew that talking would take extra effort than usual. At the hospital, Shadow had told the people in charge to not contact his grandfather. He and Maria both would have aneurisms.

"We're home," Silver quipped with a snicker before the warm expression melted off of his face at the sight of multiple police cruisers positioned in the lot, more than before. "Wonder what's going on?"

"They probably called backup to help search," Shadow clipped as he climbed out of the vehicle, shutting the door behind him.

The feeling of being watched wasn't there. It had been the same at the hospital; the boy wasn't stalking him anymore, he was sure. Perhaps the wild child had been taken down. Shadow was finally safe. A pleasant sigh escaped his lips.

Silver sent him an inquisitive look, but he just shook his head.

Inside of the lobby, there was a single officer who was talking to one of the human owners of the complex. The man was typing keys on his computer while the male cop stood impatiently with his arms crossed. From where he was standing, Shadow couldn't see the officer's face, but he couldn't shake the feeling of seeing the man before.

There was a tap on his upper arm to get his attention, and Silver jerked his head in the direction of the elevator. Shadow took his focus off the reception desk and was about to make his way to the sliding doors, but then words filled the air that made him pause.

"That room is occupied by a Shadow Robotnik."

"Robotnik? Why does that name sound familiar to me?"

Shadow whipped his head back in that direction, stitches pulling uncomfortably. He would recognize that gruff and authoritative voice anywhere. "Mr. Tower?" he called out, hoping that the other wasn't as eager to send bullets flying as he was to give out worksheets. At the sound of his name, the man faced Shadow, and the hedgehog read the words 'Sheriff' on his uniform. "You're an officer?"

The grey haired adult narrowed his dual colored eyes at him. "That's why I've heard your name before. You're in one of my classes." Shadow's teacher marched over to the pair of rodents. He towered over them, expression stern. "Yes, I am the sheriff, but I usually work nights. This situation is critical, and I'm needed now. However, that is no concern of _yours._ What you should be worried about is giving me the information that I _need_." The officer switched his hard gaze onto Silver. "Who are you?"

"S-Silver Hedgehog sir…"

"You're the one who called in, yes?"

The white anthro nodded meekly.

"Then you tell me what you know as well."

"What kind of information do you want?" Shadow asked, resisting the urge to scratch around the bandaging.

"From you, I need to know the appearance of your assailant."

"But I don't know-"

"You _better_ remember, hedgehog!" Tower ordered, face turning red. "Because the officers who responded to the call, Agent Topaz and Agent Mighty, have _died_ , and I _refuse_ to lose any more members of my force!"

Shadow's jaw went slack while Silver gasped from beside him. They…died? What…

The boy…was still out there…

Slightly trembling fingers dipped into his pocket when a tone rung from his pants. His mind was a whirlwind as he read the message and absently replied to it, his response automatic.

 _ **Maria:**_ _Hey lil hedgie! How was your day?_

 _ **Shadow:**_ _Good._

He wished that the lie had been true.

* * *

 **Woo, another character's been added! And well uh…two were taken out…**

 **Ehhem…moving on.**

 **So the stalker's a little insane in the head…or at least, Shadow thinks so.**

 **Heh. I'm having** _ **way**_ **too much fun writing this…**


	5. Neighbors

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **A/N- Just in case you guys aren't following my other story, I'm going to tell y'all here too that updates are gonna be sporadic. I don't get as much free time anymore #blamecollege X) But yeah, chapters will have a bit of time between them, just a little head's up.**

 **And Procrastination...It's okay, I embrace crazy XD**

 **Chapter 5**

"I feel really bad for you."

Shadow disregarded Silver's whispered statement as he stared ahead; not even a single twitch of a black furred ear indicated that he was listening. However, despite the lack of response, the white hedgehog kept on going like Shadow had replied an overly dramatic 'Why'.

"I'd hate to have him as a teacher… I'd switch out immediately if I were you. Get out while you still have the chance."

"I can _hear_ you, hedgehog. I can make your life a living nightmare if you push me the wrong way. I'd advise you to _keep quiet._ "

Shadow fully expected the high pitched squeal and the hasty apology that escaped the hedgehog's lips. He didn't understand why the other believed that talking about someone who was standing in the same elevator as them would be a smart idea. Granted, there was elevator music playing; however, it was so soft and melodious that a voice such as Silver's would cut through the tune easily.

"Robotnik."

Slightly unfocused ruby irises tore themselves off the floral pattern on the walls and settled on the sheriff's back, the man standing firmly in front of Shadow and Silver by the sliding doors. The striped hedgehog saw that the man's head had marginally cocked back in his direction, obviously waiting for a response.

He gave him one. "What?"

His tone was snappy and irritated and not the one used in speaking to either a higher official or to a teacher, but he didn't care in the slightest. In the past two days, he had crashed his car, been stalked, been attacked on multiple occasions, been put in the hospital just as many times, and now to put icing on the metaphorical cake, he had been relentlessly questioned about everything that happened.

Shadow figured that his being rude was completely justified.

Tower…not so much.

The human whirled around so fast that Shadow was actually surprised that he didn't lose his balance on the rising lift. Those multicolored eyes were glaring at him, and he knew that he was supposed to feel intimidated, or even contrite, but he couldn't bring himself to feel either. He wanted to just rest in his room, and more agitation bubbled in his gut when he realized that his home had most likely been transformed into a crime scene and Shadow could bet everything he had that he wasn't going to sleep in his own bed tonight.

Just… _dammit_.

"What did you say, rodent?" Tower demanded, leaning forward to get into Shadow's personal space. His horrible breath made the Robotnik's nose scrunch up. "I didn't quite catch _that_."

If the man had not been his calculus teacher and the person in charge of his grade in the class, Shadow would have thrown more attitude into his face, wanting to clearly state how done he was with the whole situation. However, Tower was indeed _Mr._ Tower. Shadow changed his words and let them go along with a sigh.

"I said… What do you need, sir?"

The human huffed and leaned back. "That's better." Out of the corner of his eye, Shadow saw the uncomfortable Silver place a hand over his heart, exhaling in relief. That hedgehog would have fainted if the officer had spoken to him like he had to Shadow.

His focus snapped back forward when Tower kept talking. "What I _need_ is details on your attacker. He crawled in through the window, lunged at you, _slashed_ you, and all you can say is that he is a Mobian with dark shaggy fur?"

Yes. That was all Shadow could say. He severely disliked the man standing in front of him, but he didn't want him or anyone else to die. If the hedgehog had given a more accurate description, more blood will be spilt. It didn't matter what… _form_ the beast was in.

It was a double edged sword however. No officers would die, true, but the boy would still be out there, killing innocents. There was also the blatant fact that the monster would still be after _Shadow_ specifically. He didn't want that paranoia, and he definitely didn't want another surprise visit.

The hedgehog's body then went rigid when a thought flashed through his mind.

 _Could that monster even die? He can certainly get injured. I did hit him with my car, but when he...transformed, he was moving like he hadn't just been ran over. So can…?_

Fingers snapping in his face threw him out of his musings, and he was forced to push them to the back of his mind and let them fester.

"I am _talking_ to you, Robotnik!" Tower bared his dull and unintimidating canines at him. "An answer is in order!"

Shadow mentally rewound to the question the man had asked and responded accordingly. "No matter how many times you ask, my description of him isn't going to-" He winced when a stitch in his cheek pulled uncomfortably. "-to change."

The doors of the elevators had opened by this point. Tower's gaze had drifted from Shadow's eyes to the bandages on his face. After a moment, the sheriff lowly grunted before spinning back around and swiftly stepping onto stable flooring.

"Yeesh. Like I said, get out while you still can." Silver shivered for show, exiting the elevator as well.

"He's the only one who teaches the level of math I'm in," Shadow muttered as he followed the lighter rodent. He completely disregarded the sympathetic look sent his way, his focus on the human leading them ahead, but when Silver's expression morphed into a more curious one, Shadow's brow unconsciously rose in a silent inquiry.

"Well I can see that. Station Square High isn't the biggest school out there," Silver uttered with a downturn of lips. "So what math are you in? I'm planning in enrolling in calculus and-"

Shadow scoffed and felt his interest fade. "Don't." Tower would tear that hedgehog apart in a heartbeat. Also, Shadow was alone in the class, and he didn't mind that. He just had to deal with Tower, and that was it. From what he had seen, this boy was a male version of Amy, if not somewhat tamer. So for his and the other's benefit, Silver should take the easy route.

The white hedgehog stumbled a bit in his step at his curt response. "W-What? Why?" Robotnik kept his stride in silence, watching as the math teacher turned a sharp corner. They were getting closer to his room. Silver must have eventually made the connection – at least one of them – when he rubbed his forehead stressfully. "You mean he's… Why does the world hate me?"

Shadow would gladly switch places with the other if his only problem at the moment was getting a hardass for a teacher, but no, a werewolf wanted him dead. Wonderful.

The pair of teenagers then turned the corner the human did a couple of seconds before, and Shadow immediately slowed down his movements when he saw a handful of police officers all gathered around his door.

The cops straightened up instantly at the sight of the sheriff. "Sir!" they all addressed simultaneously.

Tower nodded at them. "Men." Shadow came to a complete halt as the human joined up with the group of people. Silver paused when Shadow did, and he glanced over at the white rodent in askance. _His_ door was completely unblocked, and he could go in and out as he pleased. He should be enjoying that luxury, but instead, Silver wanted to be annoyingly nosy.

"What does it look like in there?" Tower's deep voice echoed throughout the hallway.

"Not good," one of the men responded with a shake of his head. "Topaz's neck was snapped, and Mighty's abdomen was ripped open."

"His insides were shredded…" Another officer, shorter and more built than the first, whispered as he gazed at the closed door.

Shadow stopped listening by that point. The two cops…had died in his _room_? He had thought that they had left, somehow finding and confronting the murderer. But…they didn't make it out of the door? The boy must have came back in through the window while Shadow was at the hospital. That's why Shadow didn't feel eyes on him while he was there, because the beast was killing.

And the boy had watched him leave the complex…

Hearing the shuffling of feet, Shadow brought himself back to the present just in time to see Tower making his way inside the striped hedgehog's room; the other cops were gone, voices coming from the open door.

At his point of reference, Shadow couldn't see into his apartment, but the smell hit him like a ton of bricks. Nevertheless, he wanted to go inside.

Unfortunately, Tower saw him approach and promptly held up a halting hand in response. "And where do you think you're going, rodent?"

"To my room."

"No you absolutely are _not_ ," Tower spat, tone inarguable.

But that didn't mean that Shadow wasn't going to oppose anyway. "But my stuff-"

"Borrow clothes, all you need are paper and pencils for your classes this early in the year, I will have a substitute put in tomorrow, and as for your schedule, go in early so the office can print you a new one. Did I miss anything?" Shadow remained silent, fuming on the inside. Tower hummed. "I thought not. You should be able to have it back tomorrow. But for now, leave."

The door was basically shut in the Robotnik's face.

When the sound of the lock reached his ears, Shadow wanted to yell out in frustration. However, because he was in the middle of a hallway with apparently thin walls and because he had to keep up his image, Shadow held it in and instead reached into his pocket to take out his phone.

"Harsh…" He heard Silver murmur as he went to his contacts, searching for Rouge's name. "So uh…Shadow, do you have another place to stay? Or…" The striped hedgehog just gave the other a heated look before he held the phone up to his ear.

It was silent on the other end. There was no ringing or any sign of connection.

He lowered the device, brow furrowed. "The hell?" His phone was working perfectly earlier. He saw the dark screen and frowned, wondering how his phone died when he knew for sure that it had been at half power.

Shadow clenched his phone harshly before shoving it back into his pants. Well, because of technical difficulties, he was going to have to get to Rouge's house on his own.

"Hey." There was a hand on his shoulder, and Shadow swiftly shifted to the side, letting fall back down to a pale side. He glared at a bashful Silver. "Sorry! You like your personal space, got it! Um…" Silver scratched his chest, the long fur poking out of his shirt swaying with the movement. "So did you get anyone on your phone?"

"Does it look like it?" Shadow's voice was piercing. He felt nothing as he turned his back on a flinching Silver, his feet leading him back down the hall and towards the elevator.

As he turned a left, he cursed under his breath at the sound of the other hedgehog running after him. "Hey wait!" Silver had quickly caught up, giving him worried glances. Shadow didn't slow his brisk stride. He was angry and tired and he wanted to get away from everything. It was too bad that he had a clingy neighbor. "Where are you going?"

"None of your business." Facing the lift now, Shadow pressed the down button and impatiently waited for the doors to open. Dispassionate rubies met concerned golds. "I appreciate you calling the police and taking me to the hospital, but leave me alone." He really wasn't in the mood for anymore annoyances right now.

Silver gave him a shaky smile. "You're welcome, but…" He gestured to the elevator that was sure as hell taking its sweet time. "Are you sure you want to go back out there? You don't have a car, right? I mean…that guy is still out there!"

Shadow glared at the immobile doors. "I know that," he gritted out, patience being stressed thin between the rodent beside him and the slow elevator. He could go down the stairs, but he was looking forward to the satisfaction of seeing the doors shut in front of Silver's face.

"So why-"

"It's broad daylight," Shadow snapped, "He wouldn't target me out in public where everyone could see." Or at least, he hoped so. The boy did attack Rouge's car, but they had been on a semi-secluded street at night. Plus, he had been in his beast mode…

Silver ran his fingers through his flowing quills, and Shadow caught a flash of frustration on the other's face before it was quickly overshadowed by uncertainty. A sigh breezed past his lips. "Look…I know that you don't like me or probably anyone, but just do me this one favor, okay? Just spend the night in my apartment, I have plenty of room!"

At that, Shadow's glare increased tenfold as he gazed at the white hedgehog. His body leaned back a bit, and a foot shifted away from the near stranger without him telling them to. Spend the night? Shadow had just met the other, and now Silver was offering up his home? Unless Silver was just a complete bleeding heart, things didn't add up.

Silver must've sensed the reluctance under all of the ire. He laughed nervously. "That did sound kinda bad, didn't it? But it's not like that!" Shadow did nothing but narrow his eyes, body rigid. Silver rubbed his neck and looked away. "Let's go back to what you said before. I saved your life, right?" They locked gazes again, gold swirling with muted determination. "So you owe me! All I'm asking is to not make me worry. Because I will if you go out there."

Shadow still wasn't budging, and the elevator still wasn't here. "Did you call the police just so you could get me into your room?"

Silver's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "N-No no! Chaos no!" He was waving his hands frantically in front of him. "I did it because I heard you yelling!"

"So why the hell are you willing to let a complete stranger walk through your front door? The _real_ reason." Shadow asked with a scowl. Something was up, and he was going to figure out what.

"I…I told you the real reason!" The other rodent automatically responded. However, he soon began to rub his arm and stare at the floor bashfully. "And well… I don't know…" White ears lowered. "New city, new school…you know? I don't know anybody who goes to the high school, or at least, I _didn't_ …" Shoulder's slumped. "I just didn't want to be alone going in there. I've had my fair share of that already…" A half-hearted chuckle. "Since we're neighbors, I thought there was no better opportunity to become friends. But I guess…"

Shadow gave Silver a once-over, muscles slowly loosening back up. Yeah, this guy was definite a male version of Amy, but more pathetic looking. If Maria wasn't screaming at him in his mind right now, Shadow would have brushed past the rodent and made his way toward the stairs.

But having grown up with an all-loving sister like Maria kept him rooted to the spot.

He weighed his options. Option one was to just ask for Silver's phone to call Rouge, but then again, he didn't know the bat's number by heart and he had no way of checking. Option two was sleeping in the middle of the hallway, and that was an immediate no. The last one was to take up Silver's offer.

Hm.

"What type of phone do you have?" he asked. Option one could still be possible if the other had a charger.

Silver blinked at him, tilting his head a bit. "Uh…an old flip phone. I really need to update…Why?"

Option three it was.

"It doesn't matter." Shadow crossed his arms, looking over Silver once more. "Fine. I'll come." He inwardly rolled his eyes when golden irises lit up. Relief was rolling off the white hedgehog in waves. Shadow's gaze sharpened. "I swear if this is some kind of trap, I'll make it so you wished you never picked up the phone. Understand?"

The gulp was audible. "Y-Yeah I understand! It's just a friendly gesture, nothing more!"

Rubies narrowed. "We're not friends." Shadow brushed past the other, shoulder purposefully smashing against Silver's, making the long-quilled one stumble backwards.

That didn't seem to affect Silver for long however. He bounded up to Shadow's side, expression warm. "Well, it was a neighborly gesture then!"

The Robotnik only grunted in response, and a scowl grew on his muzzle when he heard the elevator doors open behind him.

* * *

"Beef or chicken?"

Red orbs shifted from the talking sponge on the television screen to the white hedgehog standing in the empty kitchen, holding up two packets of ramen. It was just as bare as the living room Shadow was sitting in. There were unopened boxes scattered around, and furniture was nearly nonexistent. Shadow had settled down on a layer of blankets on the floor in front of the TV, having no couch to sit on. The place was very similar to Shadow's, but of course, his actually looked like a home.

The striped hedgehog turned back to the cartoon on screen, wishing that he had knew where the remote was so he could change from the children's show. "It doesn't matter."

"Okay…chicken it is!" Black ears twitched as a packet was ripped open and dumped into a pan of hot water, the sizzle and smell filling the apartment instantaneously.

Shadow glanced Silver's way again to see him twirling a fork, waiting for the right time to stir. The striped rodent then swept over the unopened boxes and the rather small apartment. Shadow only had one bedroom, and it looked like Silver's was the same way, but…

"Where are your parents?" he asked, if only to distract him from the nonsense happening on screen.

"Huh?" A fork dipped into the foggy water and began to move slowly around as Silver pursed his lips. "I explained it to you earlier but…I guess you were kinda zoned out." The hedgehog rose the utensil with noodles wrapped around the tines, examining them before plopping the limp strands back into the pan. "They're um…on a long business trip right now. They're on them a lot, actually, moving around all the time. That's why my place is pretty small." Silver chuckled, eyes crinkling. "That's probably why you asked, right? Yeah…"

Shadow noticed the grip tighten on the fork and decided not to pry. His curiosity was satiated anyway.

"What about your parents?" Silver's expression was open and innocent, whatever dark thoughts that had plagued his mind forgotten. An amused grin grew on his muzzle. "They sure are gonna be in for a surprise when they see their place."

Shadow shifted his position so that an elbow was situated comfortably on his knee, the palm of his hand propping up his cheek. As he watched a campfire get started underwater, he muttered, "I live alone."

"Really?" Silver left his place at the stove to dig into a nearby cardboard box, eventually pulling out two plastic bowls and another fork. He went back up to the pan and scooped equal amounts of ramen into the bowls. The hedgehog turned off the appliance, making his way towards Shadow, food in hand.

Silver was cautious as he approached, hesitation clear in his features. "Careful, it's kinda hot," he said when he held out the noodles. Shadow grasped the bowl with both hands, fingers positioned around the rim. He gripped the fork inside as Silver sat beside him, closer what Shadow would've liked.

"So uh… Where are your parents?" Silver spun his utensil before gathering some ramen and blowing them. "You know, if you don't mind telling me." They disappeared into an awaiting mouth.

Silver was staring at him, waiting for a response, but Shadow just chewed his food. He wasn't friends with the white rodent, and he wasn't planning on becoming one. The boy was clingy enough as it was, and mentioning more things that the two had in common would make it so Silver didn't leave Shadow's side.

Whenever he managed to start school, Shadow hoped that Silver would find more willing people to be around.

It took longer than Shadow thought it would take, but the other finally dropped his golden gaze, now absently looking into his bowl. A long-winded sigh escaped his open mouth before it turned into a defeated laugh. "Well, I uh…guess you do mind." A small smile was thrown Shadow's way. "It's not like we're friends or anything."

"I'm glad you finally understand," Shadow replied after a swallow.

Silver glanced at him oddly before chuckling, and no more words were exchanged between the two as they ate and as obnoxious laughter emitted from the TV in front of them. Shadow, reluctantly, was beginning to relax.

Until he started to hear weird sounds beside him.

Furrowing his brow, the striped hedgehog turned his head only to deadpan when he saw Silver shoveling noodles into his mouth like they were going to disappear in the next ten seconds. Shadow's own chewing slowed when the other placed the bowl on the floor and stood up, wiping any leftover broth from the sides of his mouth.

"I just forgot that I left your bloody sheet in my truck!" Silver patted his pockets before he visually searched the kitchen counters. "It's gonna stink it up if I don't get it out! If it hasn't already…oh man…" He jogged over to where his keys were, grabbed them, and paced towards the front door. "I'll be back in a second!" he called over his shoulder. A slam echoed throughout the space.

Shadow just shook his head at the hedgehog's strange behavior as he finished off his ramen like a normal person. He grunted as he stood, the fork clanking against the side of the plastic. The Robotnik strolled into the kitchen and placed his bowl into the empty sink. Shadow turned on the tap to let the water fill it, slowly closing the stream back off when the liquid touched the brim.

Ruby orbs shifted off of the tinted water and onto the window before him. Shadow exhaled heavily as he gazed out of the clear glass. He barely did so for a second before paranoia hit him like a truck, and the hedgehog was suddenly back in the living room, safe from any potential supernatural dangers.

After willing his heart rate to return to normal, Shadow ran his fingers through his quills and pushed the image of those two wild emerald eyes out of his head. He let his hand drop. The striped hedgehog stood in the middle of the floor for a moment, clearing his mind.

Shadow refused to admit that he jumped when the front door swung open.

"That was fas-" His words died when he saw Silver sprinting in with a hand covering his mouth, the other throwing the blood-stained sheet haphazardly to the ground. The white rodent stumbled over his own feet as he practically flew past Shadow without a second glance. The Robotnik turned his head just in time to see the other run into the bathroom in the hallway connected to the den.

The retching was loud and familiar. The visual of the beast vomiting up blood and guts flashed before his eyes, making him grit his teeth. Then the sound of violent coughing and pained whines mixed in between made the picture fade away.

Shadow regathered himself and took soft steps towards the heaving rodent. "Silver?" he called as he got closer, and his only response was the shutting of the bathroom door and more gagging. When Shadow was at said door, he attempted to turn the handle only to find that it was locked. A spark of concern brought him to ask, "Do you need help?"

"N-No…" Shadow heard the whimper and then the hurling afterwards, the sounds of splashing reaching black ears. There was more coughing. "I-I just… I sh-shouldn't have d-downed those-" There was a thick swallow. "-those n-noodles like that."

The striped rodent didn't say anything else, listening as those guttural sounds became softer and softer. There was silence from the other side. Shadow opened his mouth once more, but the flushing of the toilet stopped any words from tumbling out. A sink was now being ran, forceful water splashing around in a sink.

Shadow took a step back when the door was pulled open. Silver was standing in the doorway, looking like he had just run a marathon. He was sweating, panting, and his legs seemed to want to collapse under the strain.

They stared at each other for a moment. The ghost of a frown grew on his muzzle when Shadow saw how blank Silver's expression was, more walled and restrained than he had ever seen it. Granted, the Robotnik hadn't known the other for long, but the look was so out of place. Especially the trace of fear he saw in those golden eyes.

"I'm…I'm going to get some medicine." Silver wiped his moist chin and lips. "B-Because it could also be a bug going around…you know?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes dubiously. Silver's face was extremely pale, and his lithe frame was trembling like it was freezing in the apartment. It didn't seem like he would even make it to his truck, let alone a convenience store.

"You're an idiot if you think that you'll make it out there." Shadow lifted a hand and was about to place it on Silver's forehead to check his temperature, but he paused, startled, when the other violently flinched and took a hasty step away from him.

"I'm f-fine, really!" Silver attempted to smile, but it came out a pained grimace. Shadow blinked as the white hedgie suddenly doubled over with his eyes closed, dry heaving. The striped hedgie sucked in a shocked breath when a couple drops of blood dripped to the floor. When he regathered himself, Silver stared at the tiny puddle in horror.

The idiot was seriously going to kill himself. Shadow hardened his voice. "You need to go to the hos-"

"No!" Silver straightened back up, any red around his mouth rubbed away. "No, I… Medicine should do the trick. No worries, okay?" He swiftly made his way over to the open front door, footsteps not as sure as they should have been. A white hand gripped the knob, and there was a forced grin. "I don't know why you're so concerned about me though... We're not friends, after all."

Then he left.

* * *

Shadow wasn't worried about him. He wasn't. It didn't matter that he'd been gone for hours, that the sun was sinking over the horizon, that he could be off in some alleyway throwing up his whole stomach, or that he would be easy prey for the ugly beast prowling the streets.

The striped hedgehog had been torturing himself with the children's show – even though he could sympathize with the talking squid – and with the images of twisted limbs and half-eaten intestines.

Shadow let out a sigh before leaning all the way backwards, lying fully on the layers of blankets in the middle of the living room. He focused on all the grooves and bumps on the cream-colored ceiling, wondering to himself why he hadn't called the police yet. There was the fact that Silver was a legal adult – if he wasn't, he was close enough to being one – and that he could whatever the hell he wanted to do. There was another fact that Shadow didn't want to look like a total idiot making a missing person's call and having Silver waltz in during the process.

The hedgehog was going to give the other until the morning. If he wasn't here when Shadow woke up, the police were being called. If Silver wasn't already found in pieces in the middle of a street.

Shadow's heart skipped a beat when a loud ringtone impinged his ears. Recognizing it immediately, he thrusted his hand into his pants pocket and held up his ringing phone, staring at the device in bewilderment. It was supposed to be dead. Red orbs trained themselves on the top right-corner of the screen, seeing there was still forty-eight percent of battery left.

He stared at it for a moment before cursing the glitches of technology. Seeing who was calling, he took a deep breath to get rid of any abnormalities that could have been present in his voice before holding the device up to his ear.

"Hello Maria, why are you-"

" _Why didn't you tell me?"_

Shadow covered half of his face with his hand, wondering how exactly Maria found out. He knew that she had did so by the tone of her voice, and he knew that he was going to get an earful. He couldn't say that he didn't deserve it.

"So you wouldn't worry."

" _Wouldn't worry? That's exactly what I'm doing now! A person came into your room and_ _ **attacked**_ _you, Shadow! And then…then he killed cops in your room! You got sent to the hospital and can't sleep in your own bed tonight. Shadow, the guy could still be_ _ **targeting**_ _you, and you just…kept it to yourself?"_

Shadow bit his lip. "I just-"

" _Just what? We're family, Shadow! I found out because the police called me! We're supposed to tell each other these things! I know you might've wanted to keep it from grandad, but…we're a team Shadow. You and me, okay? Your problems are mine too, don't forget that."_

The Robotnik heavily exhaled, but otherwise didn't respond.

" _I'm done ranting…for now anyway. So are you okay, lil hedgie?"_

Shadow glanced the way of the closed front door, hand lowering to rest on his stomach. "I'm fine. I have some stitches in my face, but it doesn't hurt."

"… _You don't sound fine. Lay it on me, please."_

Maria was pleading, and there was no way that he could deny her when she did that. "I'm in my neighbor's apartment, waiting for him to come back from picking up some medicine that he needs because he started to violently vomit. He has been gone for hours, so yes, I'm fine, but he may not be."

" _Oh…well, your friend-"_

"He's not my friend."

There was a pause, and Shadow could picture her stifling her giggles on the other side. _"Alright, your_ _ **neighbor**_ _has his own phone, right?"_

"He does."

" _So he should be in good hands, and plus, if he's going to get medicine, then he's surrounded by other people."_

"Hours, Maria. He's been gone for hours."

" _Do you know if he has a job?"_

Shadow relaxed his muscles a bit. "I don't." Silver could very well be working right now, or the more plausible case because he supposedly just moved in, he could be looking for a part-time job. Or he could be doing literally anything else. He wasn't obligated to come back and tell Shadow that he wasn't dead.

" _See? Now relax. You've had a long day today. So is there anything else you want to tell me?"_

Shadow stared back up at the ceiling, stroking his bandages absently. He was insane for thinking about telling her. However, the prospect of not telling anyone else didn't sit well in his stomach. He needed someone else to…to _understand_.

But then again, no one had believed the boy who cried wolf.

The striped rodent knew that his situation was completely different, but the outcome would surely be the same. He opened his mouth.

"Nothing. There's nothing else, really."

" _Are you sure?"_

"Completely. Goodnight, Maria." Surely it was nighttime over in Spagonia.

"… _Night, lil hedgie."_

Shadow hung up and dropped his phone on the floor beside him. He dug the heels of his palms into his closed eyes. He then slung an arm over his face, blocking out any artificial light. His ears were erect however, listening for any telltale sounds of an approaching hedgehog.

Silver never did come back that night.

* * *

 **Uh oh…did the beast get Silver? Or is something else going on? Questions but no answers…what a dilemma ;)**

 **See you next time!**


	6. What goes up

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **Chapter 6**

Shadow woke up to the sound of an alarm.

A tired groan slipped past his lips as he slowly wiggled out of the grasp of sleep. Black ears twitched at the constant obnoxious noise, their owner trying and failing to ignore the annoying blare. Giving up the fight, he struggled against the blanket he was wrapped warmly in to free his right arm, said appendage blindly searching for the grating device.

Lithe fingers eventually found the phone and subsequently shut off the alarm. The arm then slowly retracted back under the covers, Shadow relaxing again now that it was quiet.

"Are you sure you want to go back to sleep? You don't want to miss class, do you?"

Ruby irises flew open at those uttered words, the voice very familiar. He was about to angrily ask why the hell Silver was in his room, but that was before he took in his surroundings, noticing that he wasn't in his bedroom or even in his apartment.

As he grew more and more awake, a multitude of memories resurfaced. This was _Silver's_ apartment. He had to stay here because of that damned monster. Then Shadow had fallen asleep waiting for that other hedgehog to come back so he knew that the guy wasn't dead. But it was weird. Now that he thought about it, he didn't go to sleep with a blanket or a pillow.

Shadow sat up on the soft pallet, blinking down at the thick grey cover he had in his hands. The Robotnik's gaze then shifted over to the fluffy pillow under him with a noticeable dent in the center of it. Lastly, his focus trained on the silver hedgehog standing in the kitchen, leaning over a counter top and eating cereal.

At his somewhat confused look, Silver gave him a tightlipped smile. He gestured over at the striped rodent with his dripping spoon. "You didn't look too comfortable when I came back," he said with a quiet chuckle. It almost sounded forced.

Shadow narrowed his eyes at the other, taking in the lighter colored one's appearance. Silver seemed fine, with no visual signs of sickness from the night before. With nothing on but a pair of boxers, it was clear to Shadow that the beast hadn't gotten ahold of him either. After giving Silver a once-over, the black anthro then noticed the medicine bottle sitting on the rather bare countertop.

Hardened golds and piercing rubies met again, and Shadow couldn't help but to feel that Silver was observing him as well. The standing hedgie let out a soft snort before shoveling a spoonful of sugary treats into his mouth. "You're welcome, by the way."

He could feel the annoyance and…something else that he couldn't exactly name radiating off of the owner of the apartment. On any other day, Shadow would've been a decent person in saying thank you or even asking what was bothering the other (that day had to be _really_ pleasant), but instead he questioned, "Where the hell were you?"

Silver's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Be careful, you're starting to sound like a concerned friend." The hedgehog finished off his breakfast and dumped his bowl and spoon into the sink. Silver then stretched his arms above his head as he entered the living room and went over to the mouth of the connecting hallway. He leaned against the wall. "But since you're so curious, I went to get something to eat. I was starving. My stomach _had_ been emptied, y'know."

Shadow was receiving the most accusatory stare he'd seen in his life. "And you're blaming _me_ for that?"

Yellow orbs blinked in surprise, which temporarily overshadowed the blame emitting from them, before Silver pointedly looked away. "Why the heck would I blame you? Huh, maybe you _do_ need more sleep…"

The Robotnik furrowed his brow. Was Silver still sick? Obviously there was something being tossed around in the other's head that wasn't making sense. "You just-"

He was cut off by a sigh. "But anyway." Silver glanced at Shadow again, gaze apparently more pleasant, but Shadow could detect bits and pieces of something that wasn't supposed to be there. "Do you want a ride to school? You probably rode the bus yesterday…not the best mode of transportation, if I do say so myself."

As much as Shadow wanted to go back to the previous topic of conversation, he figured that Silver changed it for a reason, and Shadow had deduced it was because some of his illness had transferred over to this morning. Nothing else could explain Silver's…mood at the moment.

But then again, if he was sick, why was he offering up a ride?

 _Because he's a male Amy_ , his brain reminded itself, _Helpful, yet clingy._

The Robotnik was tempted to say no, because he was sure that Rouge was going to pick him up today as well, but then he remembered that he had to get another copy of his schedule. His original one was unfortunately closed off in his apartment. He could get ready in minutes, but Rouge he knew took ten times as long to prepare herself.

"Whatever," he grunted, tossing the blanket away and immediately feeling the effects of the air conditioning. "Just don't pass out at the wheel."

Silver tilted his head before comprehension flooded his features. "Do you think that I'm still sick?" The white rodent just shook his head, snickering under his breath. Shadow waited for an explanation, but he didn't get one. Instead, Silver gestured over to the kitchen, grin more genuine. "Get some cereal if you're hungry. I put an extra toothbrush in the bathroom, and if you want a change of clothes – we look the same size – come to my room and I can let you borrow some."

Shadow eventually nodded and deemed that after this morning, he'd attempt to avoid his neighbor as much as possible. He was getting a headache, and he could only handle so many complete one-eighty's.

At that, Silver turned on his heel and was about to walk down the hallway, but he paused mid-stride. He peered over his shoulder. "And you might want to replace the bandages on your face…" Shadow blinked before gently poking his cheek, bringing his finger down, and seeing the tip tinted red. Damn it. "The first-aid's under the bathroom sink…I think…" Silver flipped a hand. "Come get me if you can't find it. Imma get ready."

It wasn't long before the striped hedgehog heard a door shut.

Shadow just sighed as he got his phone out, cursing at the amount of battery he had left, and began to type.

* * *

 _ **Shadow:**_ _You don't need to come pick me up today._

 _ **Rouge:**_ _And please tell me why you'd rather sit in the infection-on-wheels than in my glamorous ride?_

 _ **Shadow:**_ _I need to get to the school early, and, unless you can get here in ten minutes, I have to take an alternative._

 _ **Rouge**_ _: Yeah, I'm not going to even try to get there. Twenty? Maybe if I can push it. Ten? Def not._

 _ **Rouge:**_ _So how are you getting there hon? The buses don't run this early._

 _ **Shadow:**_ _I have a neighbor that can take me._

 _ **Rouge:**_ _Ooo… What did you have to do last night to get them to do that little favor, hm?_

 _ **Shadow:**_ _Rouge._

 _ **Rouge:**_ _What's her name? Or his? Either will be juicy information._

 _ **Shadow:**_ _Rouge._

 _ **Rouge:**_ _Hey, I'm just trying to find out who I have to share my bf with._

 _ **Shadow:**_ _ROUGE._

 _ **Rouge:**_ _Just imagining your reaction is hilarious hon. Okay so, how'd you get so buddy-buddy with your neighbor? You and I both know that making friends isn't high on your To-do list._

 _ **Shadow:**_ _I'll explain later._

 _ **Rouge:**_ _Hmm…you better. I'm getting really curious now. See ya, honey._

 _ **Shadow:**_ _See you._

* * *

When the bell rang, Shadow tore his attention off of the world outside and quickly gathered his schedule and one binder that Silver had given him for today. He stood out of his seat and tucked the binder under his arm, schedule in hand as he walked out of math. They had done nothing today, since apparently Tower didn't give the substitute any lesson plans. It was a free day; as his peers had talked around him in class, Shadow ignored the stares and whispers as he had silently gazed out of the nearest window.

They were talking about him then, and they were still doing it now as he stepped out into the hallway. Gazes lingered on him, and students gossiped like he wasn't right there to hear what they were saying. They were theorizing. What happened to his face? Car accident? Did he get mugged? Attacked by a wild bear?

The last one was suggested as a joke.

That one was the closest to the truth.

Shadow strolled down the halls, focused on nothing but the number of the classroom he had to go to. He then looked at the teacher's name and had to stifle a snort. Doctor Eggman. That couldn't be his real name. The teacher must've hacked into the school's data and messed with its contents as a prank of some sort.

The striped hedgehog glanced up when he reached his destination, entering the room and seeing the half-filled space. Instead of desks, there were tables made to sit three, equipped with sinks and gas nozzles. A perfect setup for future experiments.

Shadow headed to a table that was completely empty, putting down his binder and schedule, pulling out his pencil that was tucked between the former's papers. The teacher wasn't in the room yet, and the air echoed with chatter of other students.

"…see his face?"

"Yeah! What the hell…"

"…had to hurt…"

Shadow promptly blocked those voices out, tracing a drawing etched into the table with a finger. He was so busy outlining the poorly drawn tree that he regrettably jumped when someone plopped loudly down in the seat next to his. Ruby orbs instantly jumped up, and Shadow inwardly groaned at the pink he saw. He had completely forgotten that Amy shared this class with him.

"Heya Shadow!" Said hedgehog faintly tapped his fingers on the table, watching as Rose placed her bookbag on the floor and pulled out some of her necessary materials. "How was your first class today? You had calculus right? Did you – oh my gosh!"

Amy had dropped everything when she saw his face. She swiftly reached out to touch, but Shadow leaned away to prevent any unneeded contact. She got the message, wringing her fingers together in worry. "Shadow…What in the world happened to you?!"

"I had a bad fall," he said, unhappy with his hasty excuse. He couldn't exactly tell her what he was planning on telling Rouge, and he hadn't thought of anything to placate her burning curiosity. So improv it was.

"A bad fall…?" Her concerned gaze was zeroed in on his bandages, and she was biting her lip. "Are…Are you sure? I mean, a bad fall can't-"

"I had a glass cup in my hand," he interrupted her, wanting the teacher to hurry up and arrive. "It wasn't one of my most graceful moments."

"Oh…" She touched her own cheek. "Does it hurt? Do you have stitches?"

"No," he sighed out, "And yes."

"Rouge is _so_ going to freak out when she sees you…you know that, right?"

 _More than you know_ , he thought before nodding. "Initially."

She stared for a couple more moments – and Shadow tapped his fingers harder – until the teacher waltzed into the classroom. When the striped hedgehog saw him, he figured that the doctor's name was a joke, but the man himself didn't intend it to be.

Shadow didn't think it was possible to have such a body shape. Sure Gerald was a bit on the round side, but this human took the cake. As he took in more of the teacher's appearance, a frown grew on his muzzle.

Speaking of Gerald…Shadow would have to ask if there were any unknown relatives he should know about. The resemblance was uncanny.

"Oh ho ho!" Eggman's boisterous laugh silenced the room. He clapped his hands once. "I hope that you like where you're sitting right now, because that will be your seat for the rest of the year!"

Some of the students cheered, and some of them groaned. Amy belonged to the first group, Shadow, the second.

"Now," the teacher adjusted his dark blue glasses and groomed his large immaculate mustache. "Before class starts, let's get this straight. Yes, my name is Dr. Eggman, and if I hear _one_ joke or laugh or even a _chuckle_ about it, I will fail you so fast that your heads will spin!" The smirk on the man's face was slightly malicious, and Shadow dreaded the thought that the teacher could be another Tower. "Do I make myself clear?"

No one answered.

"Ha ha! The sound of silence!" Eggman went over to his desk and ruffled some papers. "It's music to my ears! Any other noise you annoying insects make give me headaches and well…" The human turned back around, glasses glinting in the light. "You surely don't want me to have a headache while grading your papers and tests! Ho Ho!" The doctor then cleared his throat and scanned the words he was holding. "I'm taking attendance now, so say here loud and clear so I can eventually call out the kids that irk me the most by name."

"Wow…" Amy whispered to Shadow as the human took roll. "I already know that this class is going to be terrible!"

The Robotnik hummed in agreement, for once sharing an opinion with Rose.

Amy grabbed hold of that rarity and held tight. She leaned closer to him so she could speak without being heard. Shadow could lean in the other direction only but so far. "I mean, why would the school hire him? It's obvious that he doesn't like us! For a first year teacher, you'd think that he would want to make a good impression! Calling us annoying insects?" Amy scrunched her nose up. "That's just mean! And…do you think he's specist? I'm getting that kind of vibe from him…"

Shadow latched on to only one thing that Amy had said. "He's new?" If that was the case, then it was a bold move to be so…bold. Either he must be fantastic at his job, or the school's standards had dropped extremely low. Shadow was banking on the latter.

"Yeah!" Amy quietly chirped, brushing her pink bangs out of her eyes. "Well, _I_ haven't seen or heard of him before today, and given that I've been here for three years, he had to have been hired over the summer or something."

The striped anthro just grunted, hoping to get Amy to stop talking, for her voice was growing too loud for his liking. If Eggman failed a student for making a joke, who knew what the doctor would do if someone interrupted him while he was talking.

"Potter?"

"Here."

"Quinn?"

"Here!"

"Robot…Robotnik?"

Shadow rose a brow as Eggman stumbled over his last name. It wasn't like the human had trouble pronouncing the word; it was more like the he was shocked that he was reading it in first place. Eggman lowered the sheet he was studying so his eyes could roam the classroom.

The black hedgie pursed his lips before calling out, "Here."

Eggman whirled his head in the Robotnik's direction, and Shadow couldn't have been the only one to see the teacher's body stiffen marginally. He didn't even question about the maniacal smile that then grew on the other's face. He was sure everybody saw that.

"Ah a Robotnik!" The doctor bellowed, "I expect _great_ things from you, you little pincushion!" Then Eggman seemingly calmed himself down and cleared his throat, going back to the paper. "Alright then, next up! Rose?"

Amy raised a hand. "Here!" When Eggman nodded in her direction, she lowered her limb and gave her neighbor a confused look. "What was that all about?"

Shadow was asking himself the same thing. "He must know about my grandfather."

"Oh yeah!" He glared at her when she refused to whisper. She wisely lowered her voice. "He runs a lab, right? Well this _is_ chemistry…maybe he thinks that you'll be naturally gifted?"

Shadow watched as Eggman called out more names, feeling odd about the man in front of him. Something about the human didn't feel…right. He didn't know what or why though.

So he just eventually breathed out, "Maybe."

* * *

Despite the shaky start to chemistry, the rest of the class went by smoothly – if one disregarded the lingering glances Shadow received from the teacher. The Robotnik just disregarded most of them however, and hoped that the doctor wasn't some kind of pedophile. The school was lax, but it couldn't be _that_ open to new people. If so, well, Shadow would _really_ drop out and let Gerald teach him whatever he needed to know.

Now the striped anthro was eating at the lunch table, chewing on a piece of dry hamburger. Amy had settled down in front of him, and he ignored each time her feet 'accidentally' nudged his. She was droning on about a subject that he didn't care about, and he was wishing that Rouge would hurry up and get to the damned table.

"And then the teacher – oh hey Knuckles!"

Ruby irises glanced up from the food tray just in time to see the red echidna take the seat beside Rose. He nodded at her in greeting, completely ignoring Shadow. Not that he cared.

Amy gave Knuckles a warm smile before resuming to spout uninteresting words. "So back to what I was saying-"

"The hell happened to your face?"

The Robotnik swallowed his food, giving the echidna a level look. Knuckles was looking at his obvious injury, brow raised in inquiry. Shadow's voice was bland as he spoke. "I fell on glass."

Knuckles stared for a moment longer before he snorted and amused chuckles escaped his lips. Then a surprised yelp replaced those chuckles when Amy smacked him on the arm; Shadow stifled a snicker. "What was that for?!" Knuckles exclaimed, rubbing the abused area.

Rose puffed her cheeks, glaring at him. "It's not funny! Shadow got seriously hurt! Do you realize how much pain he had to have been in?"

"Yeah, that's why I laughed…" The echidna muttered. Amy hit him again. Knuckles scooted his chair over. "Damn it woman! Stop doing that!"

The pinkette huffed. "Now what if you fell down the stairs or something? Would _you_ like it if Shadow started laughing?"

The Robotnik imagined flailing limbs and he tried to hide the smirk that threatened to grow on his muzzle. Knuckles must've seen because his violet orbs narrowed, sending heat Shadow's way. The striped rodent just shrugged. "Not a nice feeling, is it?"

Shadow didn't even know that mashed potatoes had been flung at him until it splattered against his unbandaged cheek.

Knuckles put down his spoon with a smug grin on his face, disregarding Amy's shocked gasp. "Not a nice feeling, is it?"

Before Shadow could do anything drastic like empty his whole water bottle on top of the asshole's head, Rouge had sauntered up and sat down beside the black anthro. She saw Amy's flabbergasted expression, Knuckles grinning victoriously, and finally Shadow's condition.

The black anthro glanced her way when her breath hitched, taking a break from glowering at the echidna. "Sugar… What happened?"

Shadow knew what she was referring to, but unfortunately, Rose answered before he had a chance to. "Knuckles threw his mashed potatoes at him!"

"For good reason," Knuckles said haughtily.

Rouge didn't respond to either of them, lifting her hand and gently grabbing Shadow's chin. She turned it her way and the hedgehog was about to jerk out of her grip, but the grin melting off of Knuckles' muzzle made him rethink his actions. He let her wipe the food off his one cheek with a napkin while absently staring at the wounded one. Knuckles' furious expression was worth it.

"No," she uttered, gingerly stroking his bandages, "I was talking about this."

Her tone was serious as she made eye contact. Red irises flickered over to Knuckles and Amy before returning to her gaze. "I fell on glass," he repeated.

Like he expected, the bat caught his bluff immediately. As she opened her mouth to rebut, Shadow shook his head so subtly that the movement couldn't be seen, only felt.

Rouge titled her head just as subtly before dropping her hand with a scoff. "Fantastic job hon. I'm sure the scarring would do _wonders_ for your appearance."

"It wasn't like I had a choice," Shadow mumbled, and her lips twitched downwards for a split second before curling up in a smirk.

"Well, it's not the end of the world," she said, plopping a fry into her mouth, "You might drop down from a ten to like an eight, but that's nothing to worry about hon." Shadow rolled his eyes, but didn't respond.

Rouge hummed as she chewed another fry, gesturing the half-bitten sliced potato at Knuckles. "Fix your face, Red. Jealousy does _not_ look good on you."

Knuckles angrily muttered under his breath something incomprehensible. Amy was shaking her head in disappointment. "Why can't you two just get along?"

Shadow didn't acknowledge her words. He was planning on doing something extremely childish, but given how his last twenty-four hours had been, he had to take his anger out on _something._

So he smashed his foot against Knuckles' shin.

As Rouge and Amy held the echidna back, Shadow calmly enjoyed the rest of his food.

* * *

History class had been…strange. It had been on par with chemistry. Shadow had felt eyes on him just like in his previous science class. The only difference was that these glances were nervous and flighty. He had felt them the most while doing an assigned reading. Every time Shadow would look up at the teacher, she would quickly pretend that she was busy doing something else even though Shadow knew that she was staring at him. Now two adults were giving him weird looks…and he didn't know why.

"I guess that you're not just popular with the students around here."

Shadow frowned when Rouge winked at him. "The looks she gave me were nowhere close to affection, Rouge." He stepped around a wad of gum in the middle of the hallway. "But it's reassuring that I wasn't the only one who noticed."

"Of course not, hon." The bat readjusted her bookbag so it didn't irritate her wings as she walked. "She can't think that we're _that_ oblivious. That's why Knuckles stayed back for a second. To ask her about it." Shadow furrowed his brow in confusion. Why Knuckles of all people? That echidna couldn't possibly care that much.

Rouge saw his expression and explained, "They're close cousins. Tikal's been teaching for a while, so her acting like that was out of the blue. At least, that's what Knuckles said." She then nudged him with her elbow. "And you would've heard him too of you weren't so busy trying to avoid him."

"I'm not avoiding him."

Rouge rolled her eyes as she grabbed his arm to redirect him to the side, out of the flow of student traffic. Shadow crossed his arms – the bat had been generous enough to carry his binder in her bag – as he waited for her to explain herself. Rouge leaned against a row of lockers. "Sure you're not." She sighed. "Look, sugar, don't get me wrong, it's entertaining to see you and Knuckles go at it, but it's going to get real old real soon."

Shadow resisted the urge to shuffle his feet. "He started it."

She gave him a small grin. "Yeah I can believe that. But can you at least start to play nice? Be the bigger man? He's going to be around for a while."

The Robotnik eventually nodded, exhaling softly. "Why are you even with him anyway?"

"Oh he's a real sweetie pie when you're not around," she answered with a snicker before flipping her hand. "And I'm sure that you don't want any more details."

Shadow held back a grimace. "Definitely not."

Rouge laughed behind her palm as she looked up and down the hallway. Shadow did the same, seeing a few students wandering about. "Now, we have a few minutes left to get to class." She focused back onto him, or better yet, his injury. "Which is _more_ than enough time to tell me _exactly_ what happened to you."

And here Shadow thought that she would at least wait until school was over. He guessed that satiating her curiosity couldn't wait. He lowered his voice just in case of nosy listeners. "The beast attacked me."

Rouge blinked. "The beast?" Then she understood, teal orbs widening to their fullest. " _The_ beast? Oh my _gosh_ Shadow! How-?"

"I was in my apartment. I opened my window, and he had gotten in." Shadow swallowed thickly as he relived the moment. "Slashed my cheek wide open. I would've died if one of my neighbors didn't hear the attack and call the police."

Rouge was chewing on her thumbnail. Shadow knew that she was going to hate herself for that later. "Was that the same person who dropped you off?" He nodded. " _Shit_ Shadow… is that animal still out there?" He nodded again, and Rouge gazed at him worriedly. "It's not going to stop until it gets you…"

"You don't know that," he quickly retorted.

"Sure I do Shadow! Have you not looked in the mirror lately?!" She folded her arms in front of her chest, tapping a manicured nail on her elbow. She bit her bottom lip in thought. "We have to do something."

" _We_ aren't doing anything," Shadow snapped before lowering his voice back down, "You're not getting involved."

"But-"

"Rouge, I'm standing here because of a _miracle_. I can't have that beast attacking you again. I won't."

They stared at each other in the now nearly empty hall. The irritation that had built up in Rouge's eyes was gradually fading away until nothing but concern and fear were left.

The bat eventually backed off, going back to biting her nail. "Fine… Then what are _you_ going to do?"

At first, Shadow had no idea. The police had been called – on _multiple_ occasions – and the monster was still out there. Shadow was at a mental roadblock. How in the hell did one get rid of a werewolf? It wasn't like he could just go online and search it. None of it would be true because werewolves were nothing but a myth. But now that Shadow thought about it, maybe the information there could be based on actual facts…

When Rouge shifted a bit in front of him, he was reminded that he had a question to answer.

"I don't know," he said. Shadow wanted Rouge to stay out of this whole situation to keep her safe; telling her that the animal was actually a werewolf would do the complete opposite of that.

Curiosity would definitely kill the bat, in this case.

Teal orbs sharpened. "That's not a good enough answer, Shadow." Some of her heat let up. "But I guess it's clear that you're not lying to me, because I don't have a clue about what you could do either…" Rouge then poked his chest, eyes gleaming with swirling emotions. "But what I _do_ know is that if something happens to you, nothing will keep me from getting involved."

 _This girl…_ "Nothing will happen to me, Rouge."

"It better not, sugar." The bat lowered her finger and pushed off the lockers. "Now let's get to gym before the bell rings."

Shadow grunted in agreement just as a loud chime echoed throughout the hall. He frowned. "So much for that."

Rouge shrugged it off. "We can just say that we didn't know where we were going."

"But we aren't freshmen."

"Let's just test it out, shall we?"

* * *

"Hello grandfather."

" _Hello Shadow."_

"…"

"…"

"…I'm sorry."

" _I understand._ "

"Grandfather, I _really_ am sorry that I didn't tell you. I just didn't-"

" _Want me to worry. I know. Maria told me what you said."_

"…"

" _You know that that isn't a good enough excuse, Shadow. I_ _ **need**_ _to know these things, okay? If it's unsafe over there, I have to know so I can make arrangements-"_

"You don't have to do that… It's fine over here. What happened…isn't going to happen again."

"… _If you're sure."_

"…"

" _So how was your second day of school? Any problems?"_

"It was…enlightening."

" _How so?"_

"I learned to never be late to gym again."

" _What-"_

"Twenty laps around the gym, thirty push-ups, and fifty jumping jacks."

"… _Wow."_

"Yeah. And the coach did nothing but snack on chips as he watched. I bet that cat couldn't even _do_ half of the damned things he made us do."

" _Language."_

"Sorry."

" _And 'us'? Who else was punished with you?"_

"Rouge and I were both late."

"…"

"We were _talking_ , grandfather."

" _Hah! I know I know… So now you better make sure that you're on time when gym rolls around again."_

"Definitely."

" _So is there anything else you want to talk about, son?"_

"Yes. I'm curious… Do you have any other descendants besides me and Maria?"

"…"

"Grandfather?"

" _I did."_

"Did?"

" _Well, you know what happened to Maria's parents._ "

Died in childbirth. Overdose.

" _What you don't know is that they were taking care of Maria's cousin as well at the time."_

"Maria had a cousin?"

"… _Yes. His name was Ivo Robotnik. When I gained custody of Maria, I gained custody of him. He didn't like me because of how I did my work. I didn't let him perform his own…experiments. He ran away. The next time I heard of him was when he was pronounced dead."_

"…What happened? Do you know?"

" _No one does. His body was found in some house in the middle of nowhere. All of this happened before I adopted you."_

"Sorry to…bring those memories back up."

" _It's alright my boy. It's all in the past. So why did you ask?"_

"Because I have a chemistry teacher that has some similar characteristics as you. Especially the lush mustache."

" _Oh ho! You must be missing your old man already! I'm sure it's just a coincidence. There are billions of humans now; someone is bound to be as handsome as I."_

"Sure… Does Maria know?"

"… _No… I don't want to bother her with someone who practically didn't exist in her eyes."_

"Alright… I'll talk you to later grandfather."

" _Bye, son."_

Shadow hung up the phone just as the device died, glad that it lasted as long as it did, and placed it in his – or rather _Silver's_ – shorts' pocket. The Robotnik pushed the elevator button, wincing at the soreness of his arms…and practically his whole body. Rouge looked like she was in pain too when she dropped him off. Hell…He was going to make sure that he was ten minutes early to gym, so Coach Big had absolutely _nothing_ against him.

Or get a written excuse. Damn that lucky echidna.

Black ears twitched at the sound of footsteps behind them. Shadow peered over his shoulder to see a business man approach him from behind, eyes glued to his own phone. The hedgie nodded in greeting when the man looked up before the former faced the elevator again.

It wasn't long before the sliding doors opened up to reveal the empty lift. Shadow stepped inside and pressed the button that would take him to his floor. His room should be ready by now. "What floor?" he asked the stranger.

His only answer was an incomprehensible gurgle.

Highly confused, Shadow glanced back over to the man only to gasp in shock. There was blood flowing out of the human's mouth onto the floor, and his eyes looked dead as they gazed blankly at the ground. Shadow's brain couldn't function; he just stared in horror at the sight in front of him.

It was when the man slumped to the floor that Shadow's mind kicked into high gear.

The striped rodent scrambled backwards to avoid getting hit with the body, wordlessly witnessing as blood poured out of the deep hole the man had in his back. The suit, skin, _and_ muscle were torn, shredded. And he…he could see _bone._

Shadow pressed up farther against the elevator wall when the corpse was kicked in. Lungs working overtime, widen rubies snapped up to take in the murderer.

He immediately regretted doing so.

It was the boy. He was there and naked and splattered with red and _how did no one see him come in?!_

Shadow couldn't speak as those emerald irises met his. They were narrowed in a threatening glare, staring at the striped hedgehog like he was nothing but cornered prey. Shadow actually believed that the description was pretty damned accurate. He was going to die here, he knew.

He couldn't leave; the boy was in the way. He couldn't yell out; he'd end up like that man in a second.

But…But maybe he would survive this. If the boy wanted to kill him, he would've done it already, right? The other already proved that he had no problem doing so. He had already killed that man and…and…

Shadow's train of thought derailed when he noticed the organ dripping in those sharp nails. The man's heart. The boy was _holding_ the man's heart. Shadow hardly could breathe as the blue hedgehog fully entered the elevator, the door closing behind him.

The boy never broke eye contact at he leaned against the opposite wall, frowning at Shadow. Near hyperventilating, the black anthro couldn't do anything but watch as the other held the heart up, tilted his head back, and squeezed. Blood streamed into an awaiting mouth, staining the enlarged canines there.

The elevator had begun to move, but the boy wasn't fazed. He licked his lips before moving his jaw and taking a chunk out of the organ, the gushing and tearing sounds making Shadow squirm. The boy began to chew, and the Robotnik vaguely noticed that he was standing in a puddle of the stranger's blood. There was no where he could go to escape it.

The azure monster just stared as he feasted, like…like he was expecting something out of _Shadow_. Said hedgehog gulped thickly, the odor of everything making him want to gag. "Wh-Wh-Wh…" He tried to control his shaky voice, fearing for his life. "What do you _w-want_ from me?"

The boy took another bite of the heart, ripping through the cardiac muscle. When he opened his mouth, red liquid dribbled out. "I _want_ to go home." Swallow. Another bite.

That threw Shadow for a serious loop. His body was tense as he responded, "What…What the hell? T-Then go!" Anger flooded into Shadow's voice to join in with the terror. "No one's keeping you here!"

More heart was devoured. As it sloshed around in the boy's mouth, he clenched his fingers, and the rest of the limp organ plopped to the ground in wet pieces. Shadow blinked, and he yelped when the other was suddenly right in his face, taking up his entire field of vision.

The boy was snarling now. "Don't play _dumb_ , buddy. Or that's gonna be the last thing you're ever going to do."

Shadow was involuntarily trembling. "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about!" he shouted, frantic and panicking. His mind briefly flashed back to his previous encounter with the other.

There was a guttural growl, and before Shadow knew it, he was lifted up against the wall with a hand around his throat. The hedgehog wheezed as he clawed at the fingers restricting his airflow. The boy wasn't affected at all. The glower was as clear as day.

"Stop _lying!_ " The boy increased his grip, and Shadow weakly gasped. "You're _pulling_ me to you! _You're_ doing it!" His glare was venomous. "Do you want to know why he died?" He gestured at the body behind him. "Do you want to know why I'm making this city my territory? My _hunting ground?_ "

Shadow let in a large intake of air when the boy dropped him, but he didn't have time to recover before his chest fur was painfully grasped and he was in the other's face again, rancid breath mixing with his unsteady exhales.

The voice was filled with hate. "It's because of _you._ " Shadow shook his head vehemently; he couldn't talk, for his tongue flat out refused to cooperate with him. For the first time, those emerald orbs strayed away from the Robotnik's eyes to lock onto the bandages on his face. The boy's unoccupied hand reached up and painfully ripped them off of Shadow's cheek, him flinching at the feeling.

The boy narrowed his irises even more. "I can't eat you." He was looking into Shadow's horrified soul once again. "But I can kill you. Maybe that'll get you to stop."

"N-No!" Shadow wiggled in the other's hold, but it was all for naught. The boy had an iron grip. "Don't-!"

He was then interrupted by a ding. The elevator had stopped, and Shadow turned his fearful attention to the opening doors, knowing good and well that they hadn't gotten to his floor yet. Someone else was about to die.

The boy had looked as well, and Shadow's gut dropped when he recognized the color of the fur of the newcomer. Silver looked tired and sweaty, most likely coming from the gym on the floor that they stopped on. The white hedgehog paused at the sight of the blood and the man before focusing on the two occupants on the elevator.

"Call for help!" Shadow instantly yelled out, not wanting to see his neighbor's cooling corpse anytime soon. "Go!"

It didn't seem like Silver had registered his words yet; he was still standing there, wide eyed and slack jawed.

Shadow grew more desperate. " _Go_ Silver!"

When the other hedgehog turned to leave, it was too late. The boy had shoved Shadow to the ground, swiftly went over to grab some of Silver's quills, and forcefully pulled him inside. Silver slammed into one of the walls, falling to the ground on his knees. He hissed as he rubbed the back of his head.

Until he realized that he was wallowing in blood.

Silver froze, staring at his stained hands. "W-What…"

"We're dead." Shadow wobbly stood back up, red running down his legs. He saw the boy turn around and smash the 'close door' button on the panel so hard that the glass cracked. The doors closed again, and the lift resumed going up. The azure beast was glaring in between both of them, baring his unnatural teeth. Shadow took a trembling breath. "You've killed us both."

"What…" Silver repeated, and Shadow watched as realization set in. Golden orbs filled with terror as they stared at the boy. "You're…You're a murderer…"

The monster didn't respond with words. Shadow saw nothing but a blur before teeth were situated right over Silver's jugular, ready to tear and destroy. Shadow dreaded the worst, but it didn't come. What replaced the expected was a loud creak. Shadow, Silver, and the boy were then harshly plastered against the floor as the elevator unexplainably shot upwards.

Silver's screams reached his ears. "What in the heck is going on!?"

"I don't know!" Shadow shouted back, attempting to get back on his feet and failing. The downward force was too great. He kept an eye on the boy though, and figured that the only good thing happening at the moment was that the blue hedgehog couldn't get up either. His growls were barely heard over the screeching of the elevator.

Shadow's body then jolted when he felt it instantly stop. There was no way to tell how many floors they had gone up. The button that he had pressed wasn't lit up anymore. Seeing movement, he whipped his head over to see the boy standing up and to see Silver scooting back to the opposite corner, visibly shaking.

When it seemed that the homicidal rodent was about to lunge again, the lights went out. It was pitch black. All was quiet in the small room. Shadow could hear nothing but his frantically beating heart.

Then they dropped.

* * *

 **Cliff-hangers are so delicious…and evil, but I couldn't help myself XD**

 **Don't hate me…plz.**

 **See you guys next time!**


	7. Mind vs Body

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **Chapter 7**

"Ugh… Come _on!_ This wasn't supposed to happen… _argh!"_

The first thing Shadow heard upon gradually regaining consciousness was Silver's frustrated and strained voice.

"This isn't…This isn't working." There was a pregnant pause. "He's not awake yet, maybe I can…"

The second thing he heard was something so hauntingly familiar that ruby orbs popped open as soon as the sound impinged his ears.

Suppressed memories rushed to the forefront of his mind, and every single muscle in his body tensed. He had been in a dark freefalling elevator. He was _still_ in it – even though now the lights were back on – laying in congealing blood from the human's body that was not a foot away from his face. He felt the man's fluids all over his skin, weighing his fur down.

The blue boy was on the other side of the small room, unconscious in a corner. His azure quills had turned purple in a multitude of places, matting them together.

The noise that had dragged Shadow out of his insensible state – screeching that indicated that the striped hedgehog's ride may not be over yet – grew louder. With some effort, the Robotnik picked up his head, his left cheek and ear dripping red when he did so, formerly submerged in cooling blood.

Shadow's unfocused gaze had flickered from the boy to Silver, and what he was seeing didn't quite process in his mind at first. All he could do was identify the puzzle pieces, not the whole picture. The long-quilled rodent was standing in the front of the elevator, his right side only visible to Shadow. His hands were hanging loosely at his sides. His golden stare was unwavering; it was concrete and fixed on a single target. The metallic sliding doors were being forcefully pried open inch by inch, jerking and groaning all the while.

The striped anthro couldn't make sense of it, so he just watched, still practically bathing in the stranger's blood. When the doors were about two feet apart, showing that the elevator had stopped in a way that only a sliver of an enterable floor was available to squeeze through to escape, Shadow observed numbly as Silver breathed out a shaky breath. He held his head with one hand, and propped himself against the now motionless doors, face scrunched up in a pained wince.

The formerly white rodent's mumble barely registered in his ears. "I…I pushed my…myself a little too hard…"

Shadow's brain was still murky, nothing was clicking for him. That was until a pink tongue licked away the blood that had splashed on Silver's muzzle, the owner _reveling_ in the taste of the liquid. It was then that everything fit together, and Shadow shot up to his feet so fast that his head began to spin.

He almost fell over before managing to plaster himself against the nearest wall, his heavy and erratic breathing alerting the other awake hedgehog of his recovery.

Silver's body was frozen as wary golden orbs locked with cautious reds. "Did you…" His voice was ragged and worn, like he had exerted himself far too much for too long. "…see any of that?"

Shadow didn't answer him. His attention was swiftly switching between Silver and the blue boy, wondering if his safety was endangered even if the beast was out-cold. His neighbor had just opened the elevator doors without fucking _touching_ them. He…He tasted the blood and wasn't _disgusted_ by it. The flicker of the tongue had been deliberate, like he _wanted_ to ingest the red ooze.

Like…Like…

The black anthro's train of thought crashed into a ball of flames when Silver took a step towards him, expression twisted into one of concern. Like he just didn't just use some…some kind of _power_ to…to….

"Shadow…" The other took another step forward, hand out to touch. "Are you alright?"

The Robotnik pressed himself harder into the wall, wishing to phase into it to escape whatever the hell Silver was. Lips pulled back in a hiss, but the black ears folded down in fright contradicted his attempt of intimidation. " _Don't_ get closer dammit! I _swear_ I…"

Silver halted his approach, and his hand fell. His jaw clenched, and his swallow was audible. The white hedgehog's gaze was hesitant yet determined. "Look, I…I'm not going to hurt you."

"Bullshit!" Shadow immediately opposed, clenching his fingers to conceal their trembling. If he didn't regain control of his heat rate soon, he'd surely go into cardiac arrest. But how in the hell was he supposed to calm down when he was locked in a confined space with a dead man, a werewolf, and a…and a… "You're the same as him!"

Silver took one glance at the blue rodent before shaking his hands frantically, his head in sync. "N-No! I don't even know what-" Shadow refused to believe anything he said. Silver had…abilities and a hunger for…for _life_ like the other. The disbelieving glare he was giving his neighbor made the latter's words trail off. Silver went quiet for a moment, the blood on him driving away the innocence he held. Shadow knew that his appearance wasn't better, but he could wash it off. Foreign blood was _inside_ Silver.

"I don't know what to say to make you believe me," the white rodent muttered, brow marginally crinkled. "If…If I knew that you were awake, I would've…" He bit his lip, irises drifting back over to the semi-open doors. His stance was nothing near volatile.

But Shadow wasn't letting his guard down.

Silver's clinginess made sense. He was just playing with his food. Silver never returning to his apartment made sense. If he and the boy were one in the same, then he had transformed when the sun had set. He had hunted.

 _But…why me? What have I done to deserve this?_

A sudden low and raspy groan gained the attention of the two rodents. Shadow's breath hitched at the sight of the blue boy's limbs twitching and coming to life, his eyes threatening to flitter open and inevitably watch as another soul got devoured by his own gaping maw.

"When I say go, you climb out, okay?"

Shadow couldn't choose between sending him either a suspicious glare or a flabbergasted stare. There was absolutely _no_ way he was going to fit through that tiny gap, and everything Silver had said from the time the Robotnik had gotten up just put him on the alert.

Shadow didn't respond, body in not moving from his position on the wall. Silver shot him a small smile that didn't match his crestfallen golds. The visible amount of blood on his teeth made his stomach flip.

Feral growls then caused his quills to bristle instinctively. Shadow whipped his head to see the hardened emeralds snap between him and Silver, lingering on the former. Large and dangerous canines were bared as the boy got to his feet, not caring about the blood caking his body.

However, before the homicidal beast had time to lunge and feast on his insides, the human's corpse on the ground began to move. Began to _float in the air._ The sight was so strange and unexpected that even the blue boy stopped to stare confusingly at it.

It took everything Shadow had in him not to gape. Then, when he blinked, the limp man was hurled in the azure rodent's direction so forcefully that the elevator shook upon impact. The target howled in surprise and pain, struggling to push the human away from him, but the stranger didn't budge. The beast was pinned.

Shadow saw how the bones in the man's body were horrendously bent the wrong way and promptly glanced to the side, his reeling brain now taking in a concentrating Silver. A hand was outstretched, and the ghost of a frown marred his red-splattered muzzle. The more the blue boy struggled, the deeper the frown became.

The azure hedgehog began to claw at the body, strings of flesh being ripped off of bone, forming piles of pink skin on the floor. More blood flowed out of the corpse, the red hiding the exposed muscle that was continuously being shredded.

The beast had nothing but murder in his eyes as he glared at Silver.

Shadow's neighbor flinched at the look, but continued…whatever the hell he was doing. Then the frown on his face morphed into a grimace, and his unoccupied palm was flat against his forehead once more. Silver's knees shook and were threatening to buckle.

The black rodent couldn't hold in the gasp that escaped his throat when the elevator started to shake again. However, instead of shooting off in either an upward or downward direction, it crept slowly, the interior shuddering as it did so. Startled rubies zeroed in on the gap that was growing before focusing on Silver, who still had the boy stuck in the corner.

A harsh pant came from his neighbor. "G-Go…"

Shadow took a quick moment to make sure he wasn't having some fever dream. When pain resulted from a pinch to his arm, his legs propelled him forward without further question. His shoes slipped along the wet floor, but he never lost his balance as he went for his escape.

The striped hedgehog reached the ledge, red-stained fingers straining as they gripped the edge of the floor. Before he managed to bend his legs and propel himself up to embrace freedom and leave the insanity behind him, a gruff voice stopped him in his tracks, the chuckle accompanying it sending chills down his spine.

"Yeah, keep running _._ " Shadow peered over his shoulder to find that the boy had ceased struggling, green blood-thirsty eyes staring at frightened reds, nearly petrifying him to his core. The smirk aimed his way was malicious and promising nothing short of death. "I love a good _chase._ When I catch you…you don't have to worry about any more _injuries_ to your face because you won't have one anymore." Shadow's forced himself to tear away from that haunting gaze, but the other kept talking. "Maybe _that_ will get you to stop pulling."

The Robotnik still didn't know what the _hell_ he was talking about, but he decided that he would revisit that later, _after_ he left with his valuable life.

Shadow grunted as he hopped up, using his upper body strength the finish the job that his legs couldn't. He slid fully out in the open, a trail of blood being left in his wake. His feet were under him immediately as he scanned his surroundings, coming to the conclusion that he was now in the basement. The only thing down here was a large indoor pool and a couple of locker rooms.

He sighed as he ran a trembling hand down his face, wincing when a nail got temporarily caught in one of his stitches. Thickly swallowing, he watched as the accumulated blood dripped off his palm and onto the floor. He needed to shower, urgently.

Shadow was about to begin his trek to where he knew the locker rooms were, but then a pained yell gained his attention. He glanced back and stumbled backwards at the visual of Silver, having escaped the elevator as well, staring at the now _closed_ doors of the lift. The shouting voice belonged to the blue boy.

His neighbor was still holding his head, one eye closed in discomfort. "One…of his hands is crushed." There was that horrid screeching again, and the elevator shot up. The yelling and the grating became distant, originating from somewhere above. "So he's…trapped for the time being…"

The striped hedgie just watched cautiously as the other's arm dropped and shoulder slumped. There was low panting coming from him, body showing signs of exhaustion.

If Silver had been a normal person, Shadow would've offered some help. Perhaps even lent a shoulder to lean on.

But since that _wasn't_ the case, Shadow silently turned on his heel and strode swiftly away from his anomaly of a neighbor, heading straight to the showers. He would call the police, but there were multiple reasons to why he shouldn't and couldn't. One, no one would believe that Silver could move things with his damned _mind._ Two, 9-1-1 probably had already been called because hearing a loud-ass elevator plummeting out of the sky wasn't normal, and he didn't want to distract _anyone_ from the messy scene they would inevitably discover. He hoped that the pain the boy had to be in lowered his murderous performance.

And three, the most important reason, his phone was dead.

So if and when – most likely the latter – Silver attacked him, he was shit out of luck.

He had nowhere to run either, as if that would matter. The only way out of the basement at this point in time was the stairs, which were in the other direction, _past_ Silver. Fuck, Shadow didn't want to die, but if he was going to, then he'd rather prolong it.

The striped hedgehog was in the pool room now, the area wide and roomy with slowly shifting waters shimmering in the middle. He was alone; no one else was there. Shadow strained his ears, and he heard no footsteps following him. Regaining his courage, he looked back at the hallway he had walked down only to see that Silver had remained standing by the elevator. Now, his face was hidden by his hands, and Shadow couldn't tell for sure, but the other's shoulders were shaking.

No, he had to be wrong. Why would a monster like him start to cry?

Ruby orbs tore away from the white rodent only to focus on the locker rooms on the far side of the large space. He jogged over to them, hypersensitive to any sounds behind him, and eventually entered the male's room. After taking his phone out of his pocket and placing it on the floor outside of a shower, he stepped into the enclosed space, not bothering to peel off his clothes before turning on the warm water.

Shadow let the stream cascade over his body, leaning forward until his forehead was pressed against the white tile. His mind was blank as the water tinted red swirled around at his feet, constantly draining out. He just waited and waited and waited. Waited to be rid of that man's fluids. Waited for Silver to burst in and rip his throat out. Waited for any explanation to come to him about exactly _why_ his life was spiraling out of control.

None of that happened. He had to leave the shower when the water became frigid.

Mental processes at an all-time low, Shadow robotically took off his shirt and squeezed it over the drain, seeing clear liquid drip down and disappear. Blood stains were still on it, and the same went for his shorts after repeating the process.

Feeling damp with his clothes uncomfortably sticking to his body, he grabbed a nearby towel and attempted to get as dry as he possibly could. Which was not much.

Shadow tossed the towel away and grasped his phone again, hesitant to return it to his pocket. After deciding that the device wouldn't be destroyed, it was slipped into his shorts.

The striped hedgehog left the shower area and padded through rows of lockers, heading for the exit. However, when he got there, his feet refused to budge. He didn't want to leave. He didn't know if someone was on the other side of the door, specifically his neighbor.

The last image Shadow had of Silver popped into his mind, and he couldn't make sense of it. As much as he denied it, Silver had been clearly crying, nothing a blood-thirsty beast would do. Silver had never come at him like a monster either, his friendliness being off the charts. That could have been a ploy, but…

Shadow shook his head to oust those thoughts. What in the hell was he thinking? Just because Silver played nice now didn't mean that he'd remain the same once the sun went down. If that was the case though…he did leave Shadow alone and safe in his apartment…

He gritted his teeth, mind a whirlwind now. The rodent stepped through the threshold, and instantly froze when he saw that the pool wasn't empty anymore.

Silver was sitting on the underwater steps leading down to the shallow end, half of his glistening body submerged. There was less red on him now, chlorinated water rolling down his face in beads. Golden irises were trained on the blue liquid, watching the tiny ripples he made with a single finger. The only indication of him noticing Shadow was the subtle twitch of an ear.

Shadow stood immobile for a long moment, breath shallow like the smallest disturbance would set the other off. When Silver didn't show any reaction to his presence, he began to walk back to the entrance of the area, almost hugging the walls as he went. It wasn't until he was nearly out when Silver spoke up, shy and hushed.

"That wasn't your…first time seeing him, right? From the way he talked to you…" Shadow paused in his movements. He turned, not expecting that question, to see the other continuing to wade in the pool, back facing him. "…Have you told anyone? That he clearly isn't normal, that is…?"

Shadow didn't know why he wasn't leaving and shutting the white rodent out of his life. His lips moved without his consent. "No."

Silver's finger stilled, and the ripples stopped. The striped hedgie's pulse marginally increased in response. "If he had been a friend or…something like that, if he wasn't trying to…kill you, would you have?"

Shadow remained silent, mental gears turning. He didn't like Silver's questions. Did he want him to keep quiet? Was that his purpose of this? The Robotnik hadn't blabbed his mouth about the blue boy because he knew that the beast would brutally murder anyone without a hint of remorse. Shadow had no clue if Silver had killed anyone. Silver hadn't tried to tear him to pieces. That didn't change what he was though.

Shadow didn't know how to answer the question, so he didn't. "Why do you care if I will keep your fucking secret?" he boldly asked, his fear of being gutted decreasing substantially. His anger at this situation was speaking now. "Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Like hell if anyone would believe _any_ of this."

Silver finally glanced at him, hope and nervousness swirling in those golden depths. "So you won't..?"

He threw caution to the wind and glared. "Stay that hell away from me, and we have a deal." Needing to put some distance between him and the other, he didn't wait for Silver's reply before leaving and striding towards the stairs. He passed the elevator and pushed the door that revealed the long stairwell. He prepared himself for the multitude of floors he would have to walk up. After a second, he began his march.

* * *

Shadow had only risen a couple of stories before he heard a commotion. He halted in front of the door leading to the second floor, pressing his ear against the cool metal. He registered fragments of sentences.

"…dead man…"

"…door sliced open…"

"…window at the end of the hall broken…"

"…heard screaming…"

He leaned away, wondering if those voices actually belonged to police or someone else of similar profession. From what it sounded like, the blue beast had broken through the doors – surprise, surprise – and had jumped out of a window. At least no one else had been attacked, in the complex at least.

Shadow ran a finger down his healing injury, brow creasing. The boy said that…that Shadow was _pulling_ him. Well maybe he could use that as an advantage. He was completely insane for thinking this, but…he could possibly kill the beast. Hell, he had almost did it before with his car. But that wasn't enough, it seemed. There _had_ to be another method to get rid of that monster. There had to be…

With that thought festering, the anthro glanced at the door one last time before continuing his journey up.

* * *

He was relieved to find that his room had finally been left alone. Tower hadn't lied.

The striped hedgie shut the door behind him and locked it, sweeping his apartment with a keen gaze. Some things had been moved around, but nothing else was wrong with it. No blood splatters, no police tape, and it seemed like they had replaced his window for him. There was no corpse smell lingering either.

Wasting no time, Shadow stripped in his living room. It wasn't long until the rodent was barefoot while only in his boxers. His stained shirt and borrowed shorts were bundled up in his arms. He definitely was going to throw the shirt away; it was unsalvageable. The shorts were in the same condition, but because he knew who they actually belonged to, he was thinking about burning them to ashes.

He didn't know when he'd get to do that however, so he went into his kitchen and dumped both articles of clothing into the trash can. He'd take it out later.

Shadow then went over and picked up his phone that he had placed on his immaculate couch beforehand. He carried the device to a specific corner of the room where a small stand was resting, holding a particular cord. Once the socket on the wall, the cord, and the phone were connected, a soft ding was heard, and the hedgehog set the device down.

He shuffled over to his sofa and fell onto it. He laid on his back and threw an arm over his eyes, letting himself sink into the cushions. Shadow knew that the wetness from his underwear was seeping into the upholstery, but he didn't care. He deserved to nap, to rest. Everything else was put on hold.

The striped anthro's body fully relaxed when sleep ultimately embraced him.

It let go far too quickly for Shadow's taste.

He tiredly groaned as he slunk out of his comfort, rubbing his eyes and sitting up on the couch. Black ears twitched when another round of ringing filled the room. After thinking about just ignoring the person and returning to slumber land, Shadow made himself stand up and shuffle over his phone.

"What?" He snapped without reading the caller ID.

" _Well! Sorry for calling, you grump!"_

"Maria?" Shadow's irritation levels swiftly bottomed out, and his lethargy was unfortunately slipping away. He pressed against the nearest wall; he couldn't go far without unplugging the phone. "Sorry. I was sleeping."

" _Really? Do you want me to call back later?"_

"No, it's fine. I shouldn't…" He let out a sigh. "…shouldn't nap too long now. I won't get restful enough sleep later."

" _You sound stressed lil hedgie. Was today alright?"_

"It…could've gone better."

" _Uh oh, what happened?"_

So much, too much. And Shadow could only tell her just a sliver of that amount. "I got stuck on the elevator in my complex for a while."

" _Wow…you didn't get hurt right? How'd you get out?"_

"I'm perfectly fine," he lied, "and it eventually started to work again. Nothing serious."

" _Okay that's great! Because I've heard stories where other people's endings are just horrific. Like if the whole thing collapsed or things like that."_

"I must've been one of the lucky ones," Shadow muttered.

" _Right!"_ Maria's giggle was like a chime on the opposite end. _"But anyway, I just wanted to call so I can hear your voice and to procrastinate on some homework."_ She laughed again. _"I'll talk to you lat-"_

"Maria."

She was quiet for a moment, then, _"Yeah, Shadow?"_

The striped rodent exhaled deeply. "I'm getting a head start on this essay I have to do for English, and it's about folklore and myths. Do you know anything about…" He raked his fingers through his quills. "…killing a werewolf?" Maria was more into those kinds of stories when they were younger. Shadow never did favor fictional creatures, for he didn't want to waste his time learning about things that didn't exist. Little did he know.

" _Killing a werewolf?"_ Her tone was both perplexed and amused. _"What kind of teacher do you have for that class?"_

"He is a bit eccentric."

" _Ha! I wish my professors would be like that! Right now, they all seem to have_ _ **no**_ _personality! But with your question…hm… I do remember something about silver…bullets maybe? Or just silver in general? How specific do you have to be in your paper? Do you know?"_

Shadow's lips were somewhat pursed. It couldn't be that simple, could it? "Not very. It's our first one, so he should be lenient."

" _Good, because that's all I got. Need any more help with anything? Any tips about being a senior and staying out of trouble?"_

He scoffed. "I think I'm good Maria, thank you." He doubted anything she told him about _that_ subject would actually help.

" _Well then, I'll talk to you later lil hedgie!"_

"Bye, Maria." Shadow hung up and put the phone down. He glanced over at the window, the sun shining its rays down on the city. In a couple of hours, shadows would cover the landscape, letting a different kind of monster roam its inner streets. Something hungrier.

Something that shouldn't exist.

Silver bullets… Where in the hell was he going to get silver bullets?

It took a minute, but a lightbulb finally went off in his head.

He was going to need his wallet.

* * *

 **Well, Silver wasn't what he had appeared to be, but at least he isn't trying to tear Shadow to pieces. That's definitely a plus! Shads only has one set of sharp fangs to worry about XD**


	8. Dog fight

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **Chapter 8**

The air was stale when he walked in, tiny dust particles floating around and tickling Shadow's nose. The hedgehog reached up and pinched his nostrils as the door closed behind him, restraining the sneeze that threatened to force its way out. He knew that sneezing on anything in this store would most likely cause the item to disintegrate.

Shadow shook away the uncomfortable feeling of his burning nose before scanning the place. There were lines of older shelves that had a thin layer of dust covering them. The Robotnik's face scrunched up as he entered deeper, seeing antiques packed upon those shelves. There were all kinds of items, from cracked vases to worn dreamcatchers. There was even a typewriter tucked into a corner. The hedgehog hoped that this place had what he was looking for.

However, seeing how old and _in_ valuable the things shown off were, his hope was waning.

"Hiya!"

His heart skipped a beat as he whirled around to find the source of the loud and sharp voice. Shadow resisted to glare at the smiling bee in front of him, large yellow irises sparkling. The insect's antennae were subtly twitching, sticking out of a black beanie. He didn't look older than a sophomore in high school.

A hand was waved in greeting, and teeth beamed. "I'm Charmy! I'm an employee here! Can I help you with anything?"

Shadow didn't want to be rude, but the other was hovering – yes, hovering – way too close to him. He could feel his breath on his face. "You're a little too close."

"Am I? Oh!" Wings vibrated as the distance between them two increased. The bee then placed his feet on the ground, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry sorry! I've been told that I gotta work on that…" Charmy clapped his hands together. "So anyway! Do you need any help, Shadow?"

"Yes actually. I-" The rodent paused for a moment, furrowing his brow. He hadn't met this kid before in his life, he was sure. So then… "How do you know my name?"

"Easy!" Charmy was about to lean on a shelf, but then it was like he reminded himself where he was, straightening back up quick as lightning. "I go to the same school you do! I saw you in the hallway today, and people were talking about your face!" Shadow's hand twitched, wanting to brush his wound, but he kept it down. Charmy peered forward a bit. "Speaking of that! What actually happened? Does it still hurt? When-"

"Where's the owner?" Shadow interrupted the other, annoyance levels rising. He wasn't here to satiate the curiosities of an underclassmen.

Charmy blinked. "You don't wanna talk about it? That's cool too!" The bee pointed to the opposite end of the store. "The owner's not here right now, but his son is! Which is a good thing! Because he's _so_ much cooler than that old man!" His voice then lowered considerably. "But don't tell Espio I said that!"

"…Right," Shadow said, wondering if the other was always so hyper, or if at this particular moment he had an extreme sugar-high. The rodent had a strong feeling that it was the former, and he suddenly felt the urge to distance himself before the other drained all of his energy. "He's on the other side?"

"Yep!" Charmy chirped, "He should be at the register!"

"Thanks." Shadow turned his back and strolled away, heading in the direction the insect pointed. After a few strides, he peeked over his shoulder to see Charmy ignoring him now, completely engrossed in dusting off some of the antiques on display. He seemed to be delicate in handling the items, so that's probably why they hadn't fired the energetic kid yet.

The store wasn't huge, so finding the register was no problem. There was a purple chameleon slouching over the counter there, cheek held in a palm as he slowly flipped through what seemed to be a comic. At Shadow's approach, sapphire blues tore themselves away from the page, watching Shadow with such an intensity that he almost faltered in his step.

Shaking away the feeling that he was being eyed like some sort of prize, Shadow halted his strides in front of the counter. A brow rose. "Are you Espio?"

The chameleon's lips twitched as he doggie-eared the comic's page, closing the book and sliding it to the side. The reptile gave a single nod. "In the flesh." Purple fingers tapped consecutively on the countertop. The smirk was still present on his face. "Given that you don't have anything in your hands to buy," he gestured at Shadow's empty arms. "I say that you're looking for something in the back. Something more worth your while, am I right?"

Shadow didn't like that borderline smug expression on the other's face. It was like Espio knew a thousand things that he didn't. "Depends. What's in the back?"

There was a glint in those azure eyes that the hedgehog couldn't decipher. The chameleon pushed off the counter before nodding his head over to where the surface ended. "Come with me. I'm sure you'll see something that you like."

Shadow narrowed his eyes at the reptile's back but followed the son anyway. "Is there anything on my face?" he asked as he caught up to the chameleon, strolling down a short hallway.

"No," Espio answered instantly, head trained forward.

The Robotnik frowned, receiving vibes from the other that he didn't like. "Then why the hell am I so amusing to you?"

Espio peered over his shoulder, all traces of the smirk gone. Curiosity was present in his features. "Amusing? You think that I'm laughing at you?" The chameleon stopped at a door at the end of the hall, wrapping his fingers around the doorknob. "Don't be absurd."

Shadow glared when those secretive blues glanced at him again – he had to be providing _some_ sort of entertainment for the chameleon. He didn't know why though – until the contents of the room claimed his attention.

He immediately knew that he had chosen the right store. The room was no bigger than a walk-in closet, but there were rows upon rows of items that would put a massive dent in anyone's bank account. There were jewelry, electronics, _guns_ and _ammo._ Bingo.

"My father frequently has customers who aren't satisfied with the items up front, and who are willing to bargain." Espio stepped to the side and gestured into the space. That damned smirk was there again. "What you need will be in there."

Shadow gave him an odd look. "How do you know what I'm looking for?"

The reptile shrugged. "I have a hunch. I'm good at reading people."

Not knowing how to respond to that, Shadow didn't and focused on what he came out here for. Red orbs scanned the ammo, seeing that all of them were the generic metal bullets, nothing special nor useful to him.

"You seem disappointed."

Shadow turned to see Espio propped up against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest. Sapphire eyes swept the small room. "All that's displayed, and you see nothing that you like?"

The striped hedgehog thought for a moment, wondering how insane the other would think he was for requesting silver bullets. Maybe the chameleon wouldn't question it. "I'm looking for something specific," Shadow started, going through his cover story in his mind, "My…mother is a collector of sorts. She's a bit obsessed with myths and folklore of any kind. She sent me out to find some silver bullets."

Espio wasn't as surprised as he expected him to be. The purple anthro just pursed his lips and entered the space as well, shifting through items and boxes. "Werewolves, right? That's how the story goes?" The chameleon inquired, and Shadow grunted in affirmation. When Espio turned around with a tiny box in his hand, the picture of a silver bullet on the top, the Robotnik's eyes widened. Espio handed the ammo over. "Let me guess, you'll be going out and carving a wooden stake next? Or ordering some pizza with extra garlic?"

Shadow didn't know what the hell the reptile was talking about – maybe he listed more ways to kill a werewolf? – but he didn't care at the moment. He was one step closer to taking care of that beast. Now step number two was…

He glanced back up at the guns displayed, wondering which one would be the easiest to use.

"If…your mother wants a gun to go with the bullets, I say get the 9 millimeter." Espio plucked one right off the shelf and held it out for Shadow to take. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that your mother is gearing up to hunt."

Shadow scoffed, rotating the gun in his hand, this being the first time ever holding one. "That's ridiculous."

"It is, isn't it." At that weird tone, the hedgehog looked over at Espio only to catch him dusting off a shotgun. "So," the chameleon focused on Shadow once more. "Let's talk price. You've caught me in a good mood, so how about fifty?"

"Only fifty?" Shadow repeated, shocked. He was ready to empty his wallet. "For each?"

Espio cocked his head. "Each? No, altogether. No one else is going to buy those bullets, and that's a generic gun. Nothing special. Do you want to pay more?"

"No." Shadow shook his head, surprised at how much of a deal he just got. "It was just unexpected."

"Like I said, you caught me in a good mood." There was that smirk again. Espio turned on his heel. "If that's all you're looking for, follow me to the register. Close the door behind you."

The striped anthro did so, the sound echoing a bit. He trailed behind the reptile until they were back in the main room again, Espio standing by the register once more. Shadow made his way to the other side before placing his two items on the counter.

"It's fifty even?" Shadow muttered as he pulled out his wallet. When Espio hummed, the rodent paused for a second. "No tax?"

"You really want to spend money, don't you?" The chameleon sighed and impatiently waited for the money. Once the bill slipped inside the register, Espio bent down and got a large bag. He handed it over. "It was nice doing business with you," he said, Shadow not missing his veiled satisfaction.

"Likewise," the Robotnik mumbled, even though it wasn't truthful. He'd be glad if he never had to come back to this place in his life.

He nodded a goodbye to the chameleon before turning and striding in the direction of the exit. He didn't spot Charmy until when he was in the middle of the store. The bee stopped his sweeping in order to enthusiastically wave at him. Shadow returned the gesture – albeit a more controlled one – and then continued his journey.

At the front door, he reached out to push.

However, it was pulled before Shadow got to touch it.

He was about to step aside so the newest customer could enter, but then he saw who it was. He couldn't stop himself from freezing up.

Amber orbs stared at him in confusion as a chameleon who looked exactly like Espio sipped an unknown drink. Those bright yellows then drifted down to the bag in Shadow's hands before snapping up to meet rubies again. "I'm guessing that Charmy checked you out? I hope it went smoothly."

They even had the same voice. The only thing different were the eyes.

"Are you alright?" the voice questioned, concern laced in the tone now.

Shadow blinked before nodding and stepping out of the reptile's way. "I'm…fine." He _had_ to ask. "Are you Espio?"

"Yes?" The reptile tilted his head, taking another sip, looking at the rodent expectantly.

"Do you…have any siblings?" Shadow glanced over to where he came from, even though he knew good and well that he wouldn't be able to see the register from here.

A purple brow raised. "No I don't. Is there a reason why-"

"No, I…" Shadow gripped his bag tighter, mind spinning. If this was Espio, then who in the hell was the other chameleon he was talking to? It couldn't have been the father, unless he had found some secret to eternal youth. So then… Shadow shook his head. "It's nothing," he said before walking past the chameleon and leaving the store.

He could only deal with one impossibility at a time.

* * *

Shadow swallowed the last bit of his sub sandwich just as the sun disappeared over the horizon. He sipped his water and watched as the streetlights and the signs of stores lit up the darkening sky. A cool breeze ruffled his quills when he stood up, gathering his trash with one hand, his bag with his other. He left his table and dumped the trash into the trashcan.

Breathing out a puff of air, Shadow calmed his nerves and steeled himself. He knew that he was going to see the beast soon, the _real_ beast. But that's…that's what he wanted. The blue boy was fast during the day, too fast. But now, Shadow _hoped_ that the ravaging monster was slower, and if not…at least he would be a bigger target.

The striped anthro walked down the sidewalk along with many other denizens of the city, knowing exactly where he was headed. During the last few hours, he killed time waiting for the moon to rise by traveling all around Station Square, seeing the sights and finding the perfect secluded spot to do… _it_. He needed no one to get in the way of the beast, and well, he didn't want anyone else to become a potential target. He knew that his aim wasn't going to be the best.

There was an abandoned warehouse that was ideal. No one seemed to be around it when he had first found it, and it was boarded up. No one had been in it for years. There would be no reason for someone to sniff it out and potentially get gutted and/or shot. Shadow planned to wait behind the building, use the 'pull' or whatever, and lead the monster to his doom.

Shadow glared down at the sidewalk as he went. Who knew how many innocent people that beast had killed, _consumed._

" _Do you want to know why I'm making this city my territory? My_ _ **hunting ground**_ _? It's because of_ _ **you**_ _."_

The Robotnik's brow creased when the boy's growling voice echoed around in his mind. He refused to believe those words. Just because he had accidentally ran the blue one over, it didn't mean that the beast was _stuck_ here. Strange pull or not, Shadow didn't think that the werewolf was trapped. The boy had used those words to manipulate, to take the blame off himself and make it seem that the killings weren't _all_ his fault. The murderous bastard.

Shadow couldn't wait to feel the satisfaction of aiming right between the beast's eyes and pulling the trig-

"Gah!" he hissed when his head slammed against something hard. The rodent stumbled back a couple steps, gingerly rubbing the throbbing area.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so…Shadow?"

The striped hedgehog recognized that voice, and his mood plummeted. He lowered his hand and gazed forward only to find Silver sitting on the ground, looking up at him. The impact must've made the other completely lose his balance. Shadow just glared, wondering out of everyone he could've run across, he _had_ to bump into Silver. Hell, at this point, Amy would've been a better choice.

Not wasting his breath on the hedgie before him, Shadow sidestepped the other and was prepared to go along his merry way. However, Silver apparently had different plans, for he hopped back up onto his feet and grabbed Shadow's unoccupied arm. "Wait!"

The black rodent wrenched himself out of the white one's grip. His stare was venomous. " _Don't_ touch me."

Silver held both of his hands up innocently. "Sorry! I just-" Shadow scowled at him, making him glance away while rubbing his arm self-consciously. "Sorry…I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Whatever," Shadow snapped before making a move to leave the other. He had a job to do.

He didn't get very far though, for, once again, he was stopped. By a chair. That had _scooted out from under a table and into his path by itself._ Widened reds scanned the area to see if _anyone_ else had seen it. No one did, too engrossed in their own conversations as they walked past.

Shadow then paused for a moment when he fully realized that it was nighttime, and that Silver wasn't a bloodthirsty monster. He whirled around to see the other standing with the ghost of a frown on his muzzle. Shadow gave him a once-over, not finding any sharpened claws, protruding canines, or wild eyes. Silver was – for a lack of a better word – normal.

Why the _hell_ was he normal?

"Before you go…I need to tell you something," Silver said, his worried gaze meeting Shadow's again. "It's about the police." It took everything the striped rodent had in him to not shout every curse word he knew into the skies above. Silver continued with a gulp, "They sent me to find you. They're trying to find the stranger's murderer and they found your and my DNA on the elevator. They've already questioned me…"

Shadow numbly stared at him for a minute before gritting out, "Give me thirty minutes."

Silver blinked. "Wha?"

The striped anthro pushed the chair out of his way and commanded, "Go tell the police to give me thirty minutes. They won't need to question me when I show up."

"What are you talking about?" Silver looked horribly confused, but Shadow didn't care. He was on a mission, and he was going to complete it. If it wasn't to get rid of the monster, it was to keep from hearing Tower's mouth. Golden orbs snapped down to his bag. "What's in there? Shadow, where are you going?"

"None of your _business_ ," he hissed as he jogged off. _As long as you stay normal,_ he mentally added. "If you follow me, you _know_ what will happen!" he yelled over his shoulder, wanting that to be enough to keep Silver's curiosity in check.

Shadow maintained his speed as he went, peering over his shoulder every once in a while to make sure Silver wasn't trailing him. He _definitely_ didn't want the white hedgehog to get involved.

He reached his destination within fifteen minutes, panting and wiping the sweat off of his brow with his free hand. The Robotnik regained his breath as he searched the darkened area. There was nothing but flickering overhead lights and an eerie looking warehouse. Shadow huffed, glanced around again to make sure that he was alone, and then went to the side of the building, swallowed up in the shadows.

The striped rodent snuck around to the back and sighed in relief, knowing for sure that he was by himself. For the moment, anyway. If things went how they were supposed to.

Shadow lightly strolled over to the boarded back door – which was positioned equidistant from the sides of the warehouse – and leaned his back against it. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening his bag, pulling out both the bullets and the gun. The plastic floated to the ground.

Hands slightly trembling, he recalled the instructions on how to load he had searched on his phone. Pressing a button on the side of the hand grip, the empty magazine ejected out of the gun. He opened the box of bullets and placed them inside of the compartment until it was full. The magazine was shoved back into the gun, and the manual safety was disengaged. A somewhat unsure hand pulled back the pistol slide, and Shadow let out a breath as he examined the loaded weapon.

He fought hard to not think that he was about to commit a murder. It was more like…an extermination. Getting rid of a pest. A very large, hungry, and dangerous pest.

Lithe fingers grasped the firearm tighter, his nerves gradually being calmed.

An idea pushing to the forefront of his mind, Shadow searched the area until he zeroed in on an empty soda can a good distance away. He aimed the gun, believing that he had enough bullets to waste one, and pulled the trigger.

He promptly gasped when the weapon flew out of his hand due to the unexpected recoil. "Dammit!" he cursed, reaching to catch it before rethinking that idiotic move. Shadow quickly sidestepped and ducked when the gun hit the ground, waiting for another bullet to go off and potentially make his bad day even worse.

A second gunshot didn't pierce the air. Shadow slowly uncovered his face and opened his eyes to see the firearm laying harmlessly on the asphalt. Willing his heartrate to go back to normal, the rodent bent down and picked the gun up, grateful that no one else was around to witness his embarrassment.

He turned the weapon around in his hands then shifted his attention to the soda can. It hadn't moved, and there was disturbed pavement a good meter away from it. He'd missed.

Shadow's jaw clenched, apprehension swirling within him. He couldn't do this. He hadn't handled a gun in his life, and he wanted to kill a mythological creature with it? He was risking his life when he could easily sick the police on the beast. But then…how many people would get killed in the process?

The Robotnik heavily sighed. "What am I doing here…?"

"Making my job much easier."

Shadow's muscles tensed as he went stock-still. He knew that voice. It was lower and gruffer and huskier than he was unfortunately used to, but he _knew_ that voice.

What the fuck had he gotten himself into?

The hedgehog's blood ran cold, and a golf ball sized lump lodged itself into his throat. His hold on the gun was so tight that his knuckles ached. The boy was right above him on the roof of the warehouse, he was sure. There was no backing out now. He was going to shoot.

Three…two…one…

Shadow cried out when his ankle was yanked and he was suddenly upside down. "S-Shit!" he yelled, somehow keeping the gun in his grasp. He watched wide-eyed as the ground got farther and farther away, wondering how the hell he ended up like this. Ruby irises then snapped upward to figure out what was practically crushing his calf.

It was a massive hand.

That belonged to a similarly massive arm.

That had managed to _stretch_ to grab the Robotnik's foot.

Yeah, he was fucked.

Before Shadow knew it, he was staring into predatory emeralds while blood was rushing to his head. The werewolf sneered, his enlarged canines dangerously closed to the rodent's pale face, surprisingly unstained. Hoping that the other wouldn't expect him to make a move while disoriented and terrified, Shadow pointed the gun right at the beast's forehead and pulled the trigger.

And he was positive that the bullet would've blasted the monster's brain out of his skull if the barrel of the gun hadn't been crushed by the boy's unoccupied hand.

Shadow winced when the weapon was forcefully snatched out of his grip and crushed more thoroughly, it being nothing but a ball of metal when the werewolf was done with it. The striped rodent's only hope was then tossed to the side, useless.

The rodent's breaths were fast and shallow as his situation sunk in. He was at the beast's mercy. There was no way he could fight himself out of this and yelling for help would only get his vocal cords torn out. There was no one around to hear anyway.

His stomach uncomfortably churned when the boy shook him back and forth. Cracked lips pulled back into a leer. "What?" Hot air fanned across Shadow's muzzle, the stench making his nose scrunch up. The beast cocked his head, emeralds boring into rubies, never looking away. Arrogance pulsated out of the boy in waves. "No last words?"

Shadow had to do _something_. If he couldn't physically worm his way free, maybe he could do it verbally. He doubted that the other would listen to any kind of reason, but he had to try. His life was on the line.

The striped anthro swallowed thickly. "Just…Just _tell_ me how to s-stop pulling you, and I will dammit! What do I get out of keeping you here? Tell me and I can-" The rest of his words lodged in his throat when the monster snapped his jaws in his face, making him instinctively flinch.

A deep warning growl impinged his ears. "Do you _really_ think that I know how you do it?" Those bright green orbs were glaring, promising nothing but pain in Shadow's near future. "And besides, even if you did stop…"

The Robotnik shouted in shock when he was lurched up before slammed down the warehouse's roof. Pain spread throughout his body like wildfire, originating from his back and head. His skull was throbbing and his spine felt like it had broken in two. Shadow groaned in agony before he felt himself being pulled, the hand never letting go of his ankle.

The roof scraped the skin on his back as he was positioned right under the beast. It was then that the boy let go. However, Shadow had no room to run. Two coarse muscular arms were on either side of his head and he was trapped beneath the vicious monster.

Strands of drool splattered against his healthy cheek, but the black hedgehog was too petrified to wipe it away. He could only watch in horror as the boy bent down until he was one swift move away from tearing into Shadow's face.

A guttural sound rumbled up from the beast's chest, and Shadow barely recognized it as a chuckle. "You ran me over, remember?" A sharp claw rested itself on the Robotnik's upper torso, applying pressure. Shadow hissed when it broke skin, a flick of the wrist forming a gash that reached the middle of his stomach. Blood dribbled out of the wound. The boy raised the stained nail up to his muzzle and gazed at the dripping fluid. Then he scoffed and harshly wiped the red onto Shadow's cheek. "I have to kill you for that."

Shadow's heart was painfully thudding against his ribcage, eyes bulging when the other clenched a fist and reeled it back. If he was hit with that, then his skull would surely splinter, his brain instantly turning into mush. Then, he'd be nothing but another headline.

"I saved your life!" His mouth moved without his consent. "You would've died if I left you in the middle of the road, and you fucking _know_ that!" The monster narrowed his eyes, and Shadow kept going, wondering if his rambling was actually helping his cause here. "I didn't kill you. I hurt you, yes, but you're still alive. It's not…fair if you killed me after all that I've done."

Shadow soon realized that he had said the exact _wrong_ thing when the boy glowered, snarls filling the air. "After all you've _done?_ You ran me over and _trapped_ me in this city! It's not fair if I smash your face in?" Fingers clenched even more, and Shadow's life started to flash before his eyes. "Newsflash, _life isn't fair._ "

In the next second, rather than the beast destroying Shadow's face with a single move, the boy instead started to glow.

Shadow blinked at the bright cyan color, having no idea what was happening. At the shocked look on the other's face, he and the werewolf were in the same boat.

The monster was completely frozen, everything still except for those emerald orbs of his, which were darting in every direction. He growled, "What-"

Then the threatening creature made a rather pathetic yelp when he was violently hurled off of the roof.

Frightened rubies followed the boy until he disappeared where Shadow couldn't see. Thoughts in a whirlwind, he put a hand up to his heart as he sat up, panting when shocks emitted from the cut on his front. He wiped the wetness off his cheeks, trying and failing to comprehend what just happened.

"Shadow."

Black ears perked when words came from the opposite direction Shadow was currently gazing in. The hedgehog almost didn't want to look at Silver. The white hedgehog's voice was right, but _very_ wrong at the same time.

However, his curiosity won over. Slowly but surely, Shadow's head turned until Silver was in his line of sight. His heart skipped a beat at what he saw.

It was…definitely Silver, but…wilder.

Dangerous claws protruded from white fingers, pointed canines were clearly visible beneath a frown, his muzzle was longer, his ears were bigger…or rather, _everything_ was bigger. His muscles were defined under his now tight clothes, but – to Shadow's confusion – he wasn't as large and seemingly strong as the blue boy. Some more differences were that while the original beast seemed to only walk on four legs, Silver was standing upright. Also, a long furred tail languidly swished back and forth behind the newcomer, while the blue boy didn't have a tail at all (well, from what Shadow had seen).

Silver _looked_ less threatening – more a hybrid than the blue beast – but Shadow couldn't afford to judge the book by its cover here.

Those golden orbs were no less predatory than the emerald ones.

Shadow was frozen as he took in his neighbor's form. He didn't want to move. Just because Silver had taken care of one problem, it didn't mean that he couldn't become another. Silver could've just been getting rid of the boy so that he could have Shadow to himself.

Dammit, just… _dammit_.

Hairs stood up on the back of his neck when Silver took a couple of steps toward him, eyes unwavering. Then, suddenly, the expression on the white one's face changed. It was more cautious and…Shadow wouldn't call it friendly, but it was almost there. The bleached tail wagged a little more swiftly.

Silver carefully strode closer before dropping down to all fours, ears pulled back. Shadow just watched warily as the other approached, mind telling him to run, but his body wasn't listening.

When Silver was right in front of him, the former hedgehog leaned in and sniffed the blood on Shadow's chest. The Robotnik held his breath when Silver's jaw clenched and pain etched into his features. It was like he was holding himself back. The hybrid then refocused on frightened rubies, one white ear swiveling in the direction that the monster was thrown.

"Shadow," Silver repeated, whispering, "I'm not going to hurt you. I-" He whirled his head around when grunts sounded in the boy's direction. Silver took Shadow's hand and swiftly pulled him to his feet. The striped rodent had to look up at him to maintain eye contact. "Y-You need to go. I'll hold him off."

Shadow didn't need to be told twice.

However, fate didn't appreciate the option of an easy way out. Shadow gasped when an arm unnaturally wrapped around his torso and _yanked._

Something like an electric current flowed through Shadow, an agonized shout escaping his throat as he was torn out of Silver's grasp.

The static stopped immediately, but it was replaced by the feeling of his gut dropping as he practically soared threw the air. Shadow hissed when his 'flight' abruptly ended, him now being tightly held against the underside of the blue boy, rough hairs digging into the scrapes on his back.

"Let him go!"

Shadow sharply glanced up to see Silver crouching down at the edge of the roof, teeth bared. White quills bristled, and his tail stood straight up. The black rodent both felt and heard the responding snarl from the beast. "If _you_ were going to kill him, then maybe. But because it doesn't look that way…" Wetness formed in the corners of Shadow's eyes when his torso was harshly squeezed. "No."

Golden orbs hardened before Silver's whole frame was surrounded in that same cyan light from before. Shadow couldn't help but gape when his neighbor _floated_ down off of the roof and safely onto the ground on his two feet.

Silver snarled back. "Then I'll take him from you!"

There was that chuckle again. "Fine then. Competition will make things _interesting._ " Then the boy's voice quieted. "I _knew_ it," he muttered, and Shadow didn't know if he was being addressed or not. "He smelled…different."

Shadow's attention then relocated when Silver let out a guttural roar. He couldn't help but to feel like he had been thrown right into a movie when his neighbor propelled himself like a rocket toward him and the boy. Silver's claws were reaching out, ready to shred or to grab; Shadow couldn't tell.

The rodent felt the monster's muscles tense, and he had a gut feeling that Silver wasn't going to win this fight.

Especially since the boy laid down and yawned.

When Silver was close enough, the blue beast's unoccupied hand shot out and grabbed one of the hybrid's, stopping him in his tracks. Knuckles clenched, and Shadow winced at Silver's cry of pain when bones shattered.

The boy brought the hybrid up close and sneered in his face, growls loud and fierce. Golden irises were shining with unshed tears. Well, that was until they were blinked away and Silver's uninjured hand was surrounded by cyan. The beast didn't have time to react before the glowing fist smashed into his muzzle with enough strength to send the boy flying with a yowl.

His grip on Shadow loosened.

The Robotnik hit the ground hard, rolling before stopping on his stomach. He shook his head to get rid of the dizziness, the world not tilted on its axis anymore. Shadow then searched around him until he spotted the monster that had landed behind him, struggling to get back on his feet.

Well, that was until a manhole cover came flying out of nowhere, cracking the beast right on his temple.

The werewolf was out like a light, slumping to the ground with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Shadow couldn't believe it at first. He expected the boy to pull a possum and attack when their guards were down. But the other wasn't moving. No muscle twitched; he was absolutely still except for the minute up and down movement of his chest.

…It would've been the perfect time to shoot the fucker dead, but…

"I think…I think we should get out of here before he wakes up…"

Shadow tore his gaze away to focus on Silver staggering over to where he was, cradling his injured hand close to his body. When he reached Shadow, he held out a hand again to help him up. However, the striped hedgehog didn't make a move to grab it. The blue boy was out of the picture now. If Silver wanted to…those claws were more than sharp enough to rip his heart out.

His opinion of Silver didn't change, in fact, it became more concrete.

Slapping the hand away, Shadow got up to his feet, careful of his cut and of his head that never completely stopped throbbing. Even though Silver looked like a kicked puppy at the moment – ears flattened, tail tucked, and everything – Shadow knew that he could turn into a ruthless killer as soon as a switch was flipped.

…Which was probably why he should be more careful around the hybrid and _not_ go slapping hands.

Silver wasn't attacking him though (presently), so that was good.

The Robotnik's gazed didn't soften as he straightened himself out. "If you really want to help me…stay away. _Leave._ The apartment, the complex, the city. That story about your parents is bullshit, isn't it? Do you even have any?" Shadow spat, feeling verified when white shoulders slumped. "Just leave me _alone._ "

A whine passed through pale lips. "But I can't…"

"Why the hell _can't_ you?" Shadow yelled, trying to not get too riled up. But dammit, it was hard.

"I…" Silver chewed the inside of his cheek. "You're pulling me…"

Shadow's mind instantly went haywire. Silver could feel it _too?_ "Great," he hissed through gritted teeth. "Just fucking great. Now I have _two_ monsters on my ass that won't leave me alone."

"Hey!" His neighbor barked indigently, "I'm not a monster!"

"Have you taken a good look in a mirror lately?" Shadow glowered, turning on his heel and leaving the conversation at that. He was done. Done with being hurt, done with the police, done with _impossibilities._ He just wanted his life to turn back to normal.

When a hand clamped down on his shoulder, he was so close to throwing a punch. Shadow whirled around to chew the other out, but no sound emitted from his mouth as he took in Silver's…normal form. No bulging muscles, no shearing teeth, no dangerous claws. His hand was still bent out of shape, but there was no other trace of him…turning.

Golden orbs were watching him cautiously. Fingers squeezed his shoulder before sliding away, falling to the side. Silver visibly swallowed. "I…I'm not a monster," he echoed, voice breaking. "I didn't want to hurt anyone!"

"Didn't?" Shadow narrowed his eyes. "As in you've done so before?" Rubies flickered over to the unconscious blue boy. "Besides him?" Silver opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Shadow scowled. "And _don't_ lie."

When Silver hesitated, the striped rodent wanted to get as far away as possible. He backed away slowly, pulse gradually increasing. He saw the other hold out a frantic hand. "I…I _had_ to! If I don't…it _hurts_ and I...it just…"

Shadow shook his head, not hearing anymore. "If you don't want both the police and animal control coming after you, I recommend overcoming this…this pull and _disappearing._ Understand?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Good." The rodent spun around once more and quickly strode away. There were no footsteps following him, but since he'd learned some of Silver's…tricks, that didn't mean that he wasn't being trailed.

He instantly regretted peering over his shoulder, seeing Silver stare unseeingly at the ground, eyes red and puffy. He squashed down any unwanted emotion that threatened to show its ugly head before facing forward once more.

Once he was far enough away from that secluded place to hear the voices of people and the sounds of traffic, a yell reached his ears, faint yet very distinct.

"And you're welcome, asshole!"

Hmph.

* * *

 **Will Shadow actually never see Silver again? Don't count on it ;) And how pissed is the blue boy gonna be when he wakes up? Hella.**


	9. Sick as a dog

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **Chapter 9**

Shadow reluctantly peeled open his heavy eyelids when he felt the car being put into park. He felt Rouge's stare as he reached over to open the door, his muscles protesting every movement. The ends of his lips dipped when the door didn't budge, still locked.

His mouth was dry as cotton as he forced his tongue to work for him. "Open the door, Rouge."

When he didn't get an immediate response, the striped hedgehog languidly turned his head to face her. Those teal orbs were swirling with concern, roaming all over his body before settling on his own dull rubies. "Shadow, honey, are you sure that you're alright?"

"I'm fine," he lied. It was probably the most blatant lie that he had ever told. He knew that Rouge could see that he was sick, but he didn't want her to know the complete extent. She noticed his red and puffy eyes, his flushed cheeks, his runny nose, and his cracking voice, but what she didn't know about was his terrible headache, his unbelievably sore body, and the fact that he was burning up. He was so _hot…_

Shadow didn't know why this was happening. He was fine before he went to bed. Sure, he was ticked off after having a nice _conversation_ with the authorities, but he was completely healthy. After he patched the cut he'd received from yesterday up, he went to sleep.

When he woke up, it felt like he was dying. It _still_ did.

Shadow was sure he had caught the flu or something similar from somewhere, and he'd bet everything he had that one of those…those _beasts_ had given it to him. He hoped that the sickness just hit hard and went away quickly.

The black anthro involuntarily flinched back when his friend swiftly placed the back of her manicured hand against his forehead. There was contact for only a second, but that didn't keep Rouge from gasping. "Shadow! You're burning up!" Then her gaze became steely. "I can afford to be late one day, because I'm taking _you_ back home."

"No!" he exclaimed, voice breaking. He hoped that he managed to keep the desperation out of his voice. There was no way that he was going back to his apartment right now. He had already encountered the beast there _twice_ , and now Silver was added to the picture. At the moment, the school seemed like the safest place for him to be. Shadow highly doubted Silver would enroll, especially since he knew the white rodent's dirty little secret. Shadow didn't want to go home unless he _absolutely_ had to.

"No," the black anthro repeated. He shook his head, inwardly groaning when his vision began to swim. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before refocusing on the bat beside him. "I'm well enough to get through the day. You don't need to worr-" Shadow interrupted himself when a multitude of coughs erupted from his lungs, making him bend forward while his throat tore itself apart. When his episode was over, damp rubies drifted back over to Rouge. Seeing her increasingly worried expression, he reiterated with a weak glare, "I'm _fine_ , Rouge." His voice was rough even to his own ears.

The bat did nothing but stare at him, her fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel. Shadow wished that he could know what she was thinking, but then again, she could just be cursing him out in her head for being reckless and self-destructive. He wished that he had a choice.

"Okay." Rouge's strained voice filled the vehicle. She unlocked the doors, movements stiff. Then she leaned over into his personal space, a stern finger jabbed into his covered chest. "But if you're not better by tomorrow, you are staying _home._ And if I see you at school, being sick will be the last thing you have to worry about mister."

 _Try as you will Rouge, but your wrath will never match the one of a werewolf's._

"Whatever makes you feel better, Rouge," he rasped, opening the passenger door. The bat huffed, but didn't otherwise respond as she got out of the car.

When Shadow stood up on the asphalt, a sudden bout of nausea crashed into him and he had to lean against the automobile so he wouldn't dive head first into the hard pavement. He waited until the spell was mostly over before gathering his bookbag that was resting by his feet while he was riding in the car. The black anthro inwardly hissed when the sack was slung on his back, any kind of pressure on his skin causing dull pain.

He just had to suck it up. It was in his best interest to-

Shadow's thoughts scattered as he sneezed into his elbow, head throbbing at the pressure. He sniffed and slammed the car door, wincing when the noise impinged his ears. The Robotnik inwardly groaned. This day needed to fly by as fast as possible.

The rodent was about to go over and direct Rouge away from the side view mirror she was checking herself out in, but then the hairs on the back of his neck rose when a very familiar feeling washed over him.

The feeling of being watched.

Shadow did a quick glance around the student parking lot, not seeing anything or anyone out of the ordinary. There were other students parking their vehicles and strolling toward the entrance of the school, nothing alarming. That only made Shadow's heart race more, _knowing_ who the hell was spying on him.

They needed to get inside, now.

So – totally not panicking – Shadow yanked Rouge away from her mirror and dragged the shocked bat to safety.

* * *

Shadow couldn't retain his sigh of immense relief when the bell rang.

Math was torture. There was no way that the hedgehog learned anything today, his condition sucking up all of Shadow's attention. Every cough, every sneeze, every _blink_ hurt, and Mr. Tower didn't make anything better by calling on him to answer questions knowing good and well that Shadow barely looked alive.

His burning cheek was laying on the cool desk most of the class period. There had been whispers about his now blatant stitches and about his current illness, but like before, he ignored them. He endured calculus until his salvation echoed around the building as a high-pitched ring.

The black hedgie hopped up so fast that he became dizzy. Without bringing attention to himself, Shadow paused and swallowed thickly before packing up his things.

"Robotnik."

Shadow halted in his movements, ears twitching at the sound of his last name being uttered over the rustles of his peers. He contemplated acting like he hadn't heard, marching out and going along his merry way, but Tower was a persistent asshole.

Accepting his fate, he gingerly shrugged on his backpack and trudged over to the teacher's desk, hoping that his expression told exactly how much Shadow _didn't_ want to be there at the moment.

Tower was standing tall in front of him, his piercing gaze locked onto the black rodent. Shadow folded his arms across his chest, wondering what the hell the human wanted. He had already described the murderer to him and the other policemen yesterday, down to the exact _length_ of the blue beast's claws. Maybe the human has suddenly grown a heart and was concerned about his wellbeing.

Shadow inwardly scoffed. _That'll be the day pigs fly. On their own, of course._

The stares of the leaving students were not missed as they trickled out, the Robotnik shifting his weight from side to side. "I'm going to be late to my next class, sir," Shadow grated when the room was near empty.

"I'll write you a pass," Tower said curtly, and the two lapsed into silence again until the last nosy student eventually left. The math teacher then slammed his hands on the desk, Shadow nearly jumping out of his skin. "I'm not your teacher anymore. I'm an officer of this _city._ " His voice decreased in volume, becoming a commanding hiss. "You have been in contact with that criminal _twice_ now, possibly more than that. And you're still alive even when everyone else has _died._ " Different colored eyes narrowed. "You know more about him than just his appearance. What does he want from you?"

Shadow clenched his jaw. "I don't know, sir."

"That's bull and you _know_ it." Tower bared his dull teeth, nowhere intimidating enough to get Shadow to talk. "Tell me _everything_. If you don't, I'll-"

"You'll _what_?" The Robotnik struggled to keep the venom out of his voice. "Fail me?" He sniffed and kept the oncoming coughing fit at bay. "Because my work wouldn't reflect the grade you'd give me, and then _who_ will start being questioned?" When he didn't receive a response, Shadow took a step back. "I have to get to class."

"Not without a pass, you won't!" The human called after his retreating form.

Shadow exited without another word.

* * *

The late bell came and went.

Shadow was the only teen roaming the halls, feet dragging as he made his way to his English class, sniffing his snot-filled nose every few seconds. Once he reached the classroom, he rubbed his puffy eyes and stared at the open door in confusion, hearing talkative voices within. None of them belonged to the teacher.

The Robotnik stepped into the doorway to find that Vector wasn't there. Unlike his previous class, the teacher was really late this time. Shadow wasn't really complaining though, since he didn't favor getting yelled at – or possibly targeted by a well-aimed pen – for not having a late pass.

Because he was the last student to arrive, there was only one unclaimed desk left for him to occupy. Both humans and anthros were possessive creatures, taking spaces and rightfully owning them. The room looked exactly like it did the first time, students sitting at the same seats they had before. And so, Shadow was doomed with becoming the echidna's neighbor once more.

Resigning to his fate, the black anthro sluggishly moved towards his beckoning desk, ignoring the curious stares glued to him as he did so. He knew that he looked horrible; they didn't have to make it so blatantly obvious.

Shadow heavily plopped down into the chair, bookbag haphazardly falling to the floor next to his feet. He then folded his arms on top of the desk and tucked his burning head inside, blocking everything out. He felt the innocent stares leave him after a couple of seconds until there was one left that was basically burning a hole in the side of his skull. It didn't take a rocket scientist to find out who it was.

The striped rodent wasn't in the mood to deal with the red anthro today, so he disregarded the glare. However, despite his attempt in not paying Knuckles any attention whatsoever, said echidna absolutely _wanted_ to speak to him.

"You and I need to talk, Robotnik, so sit the hell up."

And Knuckles needed to fuck off. Shadow didn't have enough energy to partake in any argument the other was surely about to throw at him. So he didn't reply, didn't shift, didn't do anything but breathe in deeply (or as deeply as he could) through his stuffy nose.

"Fine," the gruff voice snapped after a while, "Stay like that for all I care, but you _are_ going to listen to me."

It wasn't like Shadow had any other choice, otherwise, he'd be taking it.

"Tell me why that when I went to talk to Tikal after history yesterday, she wouldn't tell me why she was nervous and staring at you the whole time. I asked her why she couldn't answer me, and do you know what she said?" Shadow was in the middle of the process of zoning out the echidna's whispering yet sharp voice, half paying attention to the other's words. "She said that she was _scared_ of _you_ possibly eavesdropping."

Unfortunately, he wasn't gone enough to miss that troubling sentence.

Shadow debated on latching onto that bit of information, but he knew that he couldn't just let it slide. Tikal was… _scared_ of him? What had he possibly done? That was his _first_ class with her! He didn't have a reputation of being a terrible trouble-maker, and he wasn't a damned criminal, so why…?

"Yeah," Knuckles continued. He had to notice the way Shadow's shoulders tensed. "Weird, right? Why the _hell_ would she be so _terrified_ of a _student?_ " The Robotnik heard the echidna shift in his seat. "So I visited her afterschool, where there was no chance that you could be around. She didn't give me a full answer then either. All I could get out of her was advice telling me to _stay away from you._ "

Shadow had to raise his head after that sentence, sending Knuckles a disbelieving look. He had to be making this up. Either that, or their history teacher had more than a couple of screws loose.

The black rodent took in Knuckles' form. It was stiff and tensed, hardened purple orbs trained on nothing but him. Wariness was swirling just beneath the surface.

"Wh-" Shadow cleared his throat to get rid of his coarse voice. "Why?"

Knuckles narrowed his eyes. "That's the question I should be asking you. You _had_ to have done something to get her like that."

"I haven't done _anything._ " Ire leaked into Shadow's voice.

"I refuse to believe that," Knuckles retorted with a growl. "There's no way she could've faked that kind of fright and nervousness. What the hell is your history? Are you a thief? Burglar?" There was then a pregnant pause when the echidna gave Shadow a suspicious once-over, his volume lowering considerably. "There have been those murders lately…"

Shadow caught on immediately, and he could _feel_ his temperature rising. "Are you saying…? I do _not_ kill people!" he hissed, glaring poison at the red mammal. "Why the hell would you even let that stupid thought into your damn head?" Shadow's nails dug into the wood. "Your cousin is the _only_ person acting strangely around me, maybe _she_ isn't the most stable-"

Knuckles stood up like a bullet, looming over him and thrusting a finger in his face. "Don't you _dare_ call my family _crazy!_ "

The room went silent.

Shadow glanced around to see that he and the echidna were the center of attention. Everyone was staring between them, and some had their phones out, ready to record.

"Sit down, echidna," Shadow bit out before returning to his previous position, head down and eyes closed. His head was throbbing, and he last thing he needed was to get into a fight that would circulate around the internet for a few days.

There was a muffled grunt, and he could only guess that Knuckles followed his command. And right on time too, because heavy footsteps entered the classroom, signaling the arrival of a particular crocodile.

"Okay okay, the baby oil the other day was funny, but replacing the sugar for salt in the teacher's lounge? C'MON! I LIVE off of coffee!"

All but two students laughed at the teacher's misfortune.

* * *

Shadow sighed in relief as he leaned forward on his elbows, resting his forehead on a cold water bottle which did next to nothing in cooling his body down. But it was better than nothing.

Ruby irises flickered upwards when there was the sound of chair legs scraping against the floor in front of him. Once he realized who it was, he sighed and returned his gaze to the dirty cafeteria table. "What happened to staying away from me?"

Knuckles derisively snorted. "What? Did I get your hopes up?" Shadow met his leer with a glare. The echidna swirled his tomato soup with his plastic spoon. "I have to protect my girl, and I know that there is no way I can pry her from your side." The hedgehog could sense the hints of jealousy in his tone.

"There's no need to do any of that," Shadow muttered, wondering if he could go to the nurse's office to simply get an ice pack. "I'm not calling any of your family crazy," he carefully stated, not wanting any unwanted stress. His body surely couldn't take any more. "If you really believe Tikal, then get something better than vague answers. I know you dislike me, but what you're accusing me of is a bit of a reach."

The red mammal shoved soup into his awaiting mouth. "You don't tell me what to do," he replied after swallowing.

At least Shadow tried to shove reason through that echidna's thick skull. He refocused on the cold seeping through the plastic bottle.

"And what did you do? Lick a toilet seat or something?"

Shadow was about to open his mouth to shut down that outrageous accusation – it was almost as bad as the echidna blaming him for the most recent murders – but before any words tumbled out, a high-pitched voice yelling his name impinged his ears.

Bloodshot scarlets drifted from Knuckles to Amy, the pinkette rushing over to grab the seat next to him. "Oh my gosh!" Black furred ears lowered at her volume, jaw clenching at the pain piercing his brain. Rose, now sitting down and placing her lunchbox on the table, seemed to have gotten the message. Her next words were a near whisper. "What happened to you Shadow?" Worried jade irises searched his ill face. "Do you have the flu?"

"Don't feel bad for him, Amy." There was a gleam in Knuckles' eyes that Shadow didn't appreciate. "It's his fault for licking a toilet seat."

When the pinkette paused, looking somewhat disgusted, the Robotnik snapped, "I did _not_ do such a thing, echidna."

The red mammal rested his cheek in his palm, pointing this spoon in the striped hedgehog's direction. "You have no proof."

Shadow would've thrown his water bottle right at the echidna's face if Rose's hand wasn't getting so close to his own. The rodent flinched away from her fingers, and Amy lowered her limb with a frown. "I didn't even touch you, and I can still feel the heat! You must feel horrible!" A severe understatement. "Don't you want to go home?"

"I will when classes are over," he replied dismissively. He could deal with Rouge's concerns, but Amy's could rise to another level. He needed to stop it before it went too far. "I can make it through the rest of the day."

The pinkette's gaze flickered over to Knuckles, and the echidna shrugged dispassionately. Her brow creased as she refocused on Shadow. "But-"

"Save your breath, hon." Three pairs of eyes swiveled over to Rouge. She sat down in the chair beside the echidna, her food tray clanking when it made contact. "He won't listen. Trust me, I've already tried this morning." She then playfully smacked Knuckles when the echidna snuck a spoonful of her chicken noodle soup.

Rose seemed like she was going to continue the conversation, but she just gave Shadow one last worried glance before digging into her home-prepared lunch.

Thankful that Rouge basically just ended their little discussion, the striped rodent moved the water bottle from his forehead to his cheek, leaning into the cool feeling. His eyelids were in the process of fluttering closed, wanting to enjoy this period of minimal mental stimulation to the best of his ability, until something wet and limp landed on his nose.

Shadow snapped fully awake, almost going cross-eyed to identify what the hell was sitting pretty on his muzzle. It was a noodle. A growl worked its way up into his throat as he wiped the food off, scarlets instantly finding the echidna's form.

Knuckles was smirking, hands held in the air innocently. "Wasn't me." He then bobbed his head over at the bat's direction. When Shadow followed his gesture, Rouge had a stern expression on her face, and the hedgehog's ire nearly dissipated.

Nearly.

"What the hell was that for, Rouge?" he questioned, tone bitter.

She had that 'concerned mother' expression on her face, and Shadow knew that lunch wasn't going to be as peaceful as he wanted it to be. "So are you not going to eat anything?"

The black anthro was suddenly very aware of the empty space on the table in front of him. "No," he breathed out, "I'm not hungry."

Teal orbs hardened. "Look, sugar, I don't care if you're hungry or not. You better get your sick butt up and get some food, because if _I_ have to do it, then I'm making Amy here feed it to you."

Shadow ignored Knuckles' snickers as he made his way to the lunch line.

* * *

Shaking fingers tensed around the toilet seat as Shadow ducked his head and vomited everything that was in his stomach. The bile shot out of his mouth and into the water below, leaving behind a taste that made him want to throw up even more. His whole body thrusted upwards as he projectile vomited, his throat burning. It felt like his insides were attacking themselves, leaving him a trembling and sweaty mess with stomach juices all over his lips.

Shadow harshly coughed when his body finally decided to stop rejecting the food, and he wiped his mouth with his arm. He panted while leaning over the toilet, knees against the hard tile. He just sat there for a moment, hoping to regain his breath.

He jerked at the unexpected sound of the bell ringing, echoing around the bathroom.

"Are you waiting for a round six? Or can we go to class now?"

Shadow didn't answer Knuckles verbally. He waited a moment, wishing that he was indeed finished blowing chunks in the stall. There were no signs of any incoming stomach contents, so he stood up on wobbly legs and flushed the toilet, getting rid of any traces of his episode.

He ran a hand through his limp quills and took a deep breath before turning around, opening the stall door. Knuckles was leaning against one of the sinks, arms crossed with a deep frown in his face. As soon as Shadow stepped out into the open, the echidna quickly sucked in air. "Damn."

"Shut…up…" The harshness of the command was lost underneath the shakiness of Shadow's weak and dry voice. The Robotnik then ignored the red anthro completely as he aimed for the sink next to him. The faucet was turned on, soap was pumped, and hands went to work under the stream of cold water.

Once he was finished washing his hands, he cupped them to hold some liquid. Then he splashed the water onto his face, relishing in the cooling sensation. Shadow let out a trembling breath and finally looked at himself in the hanging mirror, which he had been avoiding during the whole process.

He looked exactly how he felt. His muzzle was pale, his eyes were red and damp, his quills were in disarray, his ears were drooping, and he could barely keep his legs under himself. He swallowed thickly, wincing since it felt like he just swallowed shards of glass.

There was a shift beside him, and he knew that Knuckles was staring. "Just go home." Shadow was about to argue, but the look the echidna was giving him made him pause. Those amethysts were trying hard to mask their emotions, but the reluctant concern still shined through. Knuckles looked him over and sighed. "Put away your damn pride for a moment. You saw yourself in the mirror. Do you _really_ want to spread that around school?"

Shadow blinked once before glancing down at his twitching hands, but then the images of blue and white blurs flashed in his mind. He gritted his teeth. He…He didn't _have_ to stay at school. He could find a well populated place, like a park, or better yet, a mall. He would wait until…until when? Nighttime? That was just as unsafe as now. He'd find a solution, because Knuckles was right, it was idiotic to stay here. Especially that he had deteriorated into _this._

"You have a point," he muttered.

Knuckles subtly nodded. "Of course I have a damn point. You're practically dying and hell-bent on keeping your perfect attendance."

The hedgehog chose to disregard the second statement. "Tell Rouge and Amy to go ahead and that I'm leaving. I'll stay in here for a couple of more minutes."

"Will do." The echidna turned on his heel and strolled over to the exit. "Don't keel over on the way to your house," he called over his shoulder.

Shadow didn't answer, for the door had slammed instantly after the other had finished talking.

* * *

Fuck it. He was going home.

There was no point in hiding away at some random place when he could do the same in his apartment. Sure, the blue boy knew where he lived, and Silver was his damned _neighbor_ , but if what they were saying about the 'pull' was absolutely true, then they would be able to find him no matter where he hid.

The transit bus ride was hell, since the vehicle decided to run over every single pot hole on the road. Each dip put stress on his sore body and throbbing head.

The walk to his complex was hell as well, because his condition was definitely getting worse. His world kept on going in and out of focus, and his balance was next to nonexistent. He knew that he probably seemed like a drunk making his way along, but no. He just was in need of medicine and a soft bed to recover on.

Despite his sickness, he still felt eyes on him. That was the reason why his pace was a bit quicker than normal.

When he finally got inside his complex, he wanted to take the stairs, he _really_ wanted to. However, when he gazed up the tall stairwell, realizing that he had to go up _multiple_ floors, he spun around – carefully so he wouldn't tip over – and went to find the elevator.

Shadow made sure that he was the only one around before getting on. He held his breath as the sliding doors painstakingly closed, and he released a relieved sigh when they shut all the way, leaning heavily against the wall. However, before the lift began to rise, the doors opened up again. The hedgehog's weakened heart went into overdrive as he feared for his life.

Once he saw that the newcomer wasn't a blue or a white hedgehog, he allowed his burning body to relax. It was a red and black armadillo whistling a soft tune. When dull rubies and bright blues met, the other nodded at him before pressing a floor button. The armadillo stood on the opposite side of the elevator, hands in his pockets. Nothing was special about him, but Shadow couldn't help but to stare as they rose.

The stranger looked familiar, _very_ familiar. However, Shadow's exhausted brain couldn't put together the puzzle. He must've been obvious, because the red anthro rose a brow at him, tilting his head a bit. There was a friendly smile on his face. "Yes?"

Shadow couldn't help but to ask. "Have we met before?" He flinched at his raspy and cracked voice, wishing that it was stronger.

The other didn't seem too surprised at his voice's – or overall – condition. The stranger pursed his lips and tapped his chin before snapping his fingers. "Totally! You're Shadow Robotnik, right?"

The hedgehog narrowed his eyes, his mind still drawing a blank. The stranger obviously knew him, and the armadillo looked a bit too old to be going to a high school, so he guessed that he had to be blunt about it. "What…" He cleared his throat, causing sharp pain he tried not to let show. "What's your name? Where have we met before?"

It was at that point when the friendly smile turned into something more sinister. His lips were still curled, but something was lurking underneath that wasn't genuine.

"Does that really matter?" The armadillo approached him, and red flags waved in Shadow's head. Warning sirens then mentally went off when the man clapped a hand on his shoulder non-too-gently. The Robotnik would've shoved the other away if his body hadn't been protesting all movement.

The hedgehog's frame was shaking more now as the stranger leaned over next to his ear. He felt the hot breath as the man spoke. "What matters is the advice I'm about to give you." There was a chuckle that sent chills up and down Shadow's spine. "The more you fight it, the worse it hurts. Even if you don't trust me, trust your _instincts._ "

The elevator jittered to a stop. Shadow's frantic pants were audible as the armadillo pulled back, sapphire orbs hiding too many secrets. The man patted him once on the shoulder as the sliding doors opened up. "We'll meet again later. Count on it." He backed away and shoved his hands down into his pockets. "Oh, and because you asked…" A dangerous grin grew. "The name's Mighty."

Shadow's brain short circuited when he was left alone again.

Mighty…? He _knew_ that name! That was the name of the cop that…that _died._ That's where he knew the guy from. The man had been one of the two who saved his life, but how… He shouldn't be alive. Tower didn't seem like the type of man to lie about death. So what…what just happened?

The hedgehog pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes and rubbed. He had to have been hallucinating. He was sick. His brain hurt. It was completely plausible.

But then again, he thought he had imagined the blue monster as well…

Shadow held his head and groaned. He was too far gone to think this out. He would pick apart the details later when he was at a hundred percent.

The lift's doors slid apart again, and this time it led to Shadow's floor. The hedgehog staggered out into the hall, palming his keys and hoping that his grip was steady enough to unlock his apartment's door. The Robotnik made sure to be extra quiet while walking past Silver's place, not wanting to see that hedgehog anytime soon.

Once he reached his destination, he miraculously made it inside. He immediately locked himself in before going over and dumping his bookbag on his couch. Shadow gasped when a sudden dizzy spell hit him, tilting his world on its axis. He had to hold onto the arm of the furniture to keep from face-planting.

He waited and waited and waited, but his vision didn't right itself. Instead, it got worse. Darkness was creeping up from the edges, giving him tunnel vision. Shadow began to panic when half of his sight was gone and when he felt extremely lightheaded. He needed help. Now.

Shadow shoved his hand into a slit of his pants and fumbled around for his phone. He pulled it out swiftly after grasping it, and he inwardly cursed when the device slipped out of his violently trembling fingers. He bent down to catch it, but the sudden change in altitude apparently was the final straw.

He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

* * *

 **Ooo…what's wrong with Shadow? Anyone want to take a guess? X) And whaattt? Mighty's back? Some weird stuff is goin' on…some weird stuff…**


	10. Unleashed

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **Chapter 10**

He was hot.

His temperature was sky high, and the cool floor that he had smashed into did nothing to calm the raging flames within him. His sickness was growing worse; it apparently didn't matter if he had been unconscious, slowly but surely regaining his bearings.

However, this hot…was different.

He didn't feel uncomfortable. This…heat him resided within like it was natural. The fire was blazing, comforting him from the inside out. He had no clue why he wasn't as opposed to it like he was the entire day.

Shadow shivered when a cool breeze hit him, and confusion swirled around in his murky mind for a couple of reasons. One, the cold draft should have made him feel better, temporarily smothering his internal inferno; however, it only made him desperately want to protect the warm pyro like how a person would want to bundle up when bracing a winter morning.

And two, where was the wind coming from? He had collapsed in his apartment. He was confident that he hadn't opened his living room window, but then again, he had been burning and dizzy and panicking. He could've very well lifted the pane of glass to get some fresh air. He couldn't remember. If his window _was_ open, he should close it before any of those _beasts_ found their way in and potentially decreased his health even _more._

He had to call emergency services immediately. It didn't matter how...natural this warmth felt. It wasn't right, and Shadow refused to die because his current temperature felt _nice_.

He had to find his slippery phone first.

Shadow released a raspy groan as he struggled to get his eyelids to function, hating how his illness dried out his throat, causing it to feel like he had been gargling sandpaper. He eventually managed to achieve his goal, his irritated eyes blinking away the blurriness to find that he was staring at the wall across from him, no phone in sight at the moment.

No, no phone, but he noticed something else that made his muddled brain work overtime to figure out what, how, and why. His muzzle wasn't…it wasn't like it used to be. It was thicker and longer than normal, and was that…was that his _tongue_ lolling out the side of it?

Shadow's heart rate skyrocketed and all of the fuzziness swiftly faded from his mind as he attempted the use his arms to pry the mask off of his face. Because it _had_ to be for this to make sense. This snout didn't belong to him, there was no way in hell.

However, when his hands appeared into view, he swore that his heart actually skipped a beat. His…His fingers were _gone_. In place of them were black hairy _paws_ with shortened toes that had unbelievably sharp claws protruding from them.

Shadow screamed – not noticing that it came out more like an animalistic and wild screech – as he took his right appendage to claw at the left, needing the hyper-realistic glove to come off. All he managed to do was draw blood, his left hand – _paw_ – stinging with the scratches stripping away some fur.

Hyperventilating, Shadow stared in horror at his arms before craning his neck around to examine himself. He nearly passed out at what he saw. He was naked in the middle of his living room floor with long black hairs flowing down his back with crimson stripes following them down to the tip of the long fluffy tail sticking out of his _ass_.

He could do nothing but gape when said appendage rose on command before swishing back and forth.

"What the _fuck_ is happ-" Shadow cut himself off when he realized that nothing but growls and yelps were echoing around in the room, emitting from his elongated muzzle. He tried to speak again, but he had the same outcome. He couldn't talk. He couldn't _talk._

He needed help _now_. He didn't know how, where, or from whom, but there was _no_ fucking way he was staying like this. Those monsters had done something to him, they _had_ to!

Desperate to find a solution, Shadow scampered and made a move to stand up on his feet, but he barely made it a foot off the ground before he fell and slammed his chin on the unforgiving floor. A whine unconsciously escaped his lips as he glanced back once more to see _why_ his legs weren't working for him.

It was because they had been transformed like his arms. They were shaped exactly like a wild wolf's back legs, _definitely_ not fit to let their owner travel on two feet.

Shadow's whimpers grew louder as he swallowed thickly, wanting to believe that this was nothing but a horrible nightmare. That he would wake up on the floor again and everything would be fine. He would go to the hospital as a _normal_ hedgehog and get treated for his _normal_ sickness.

But then again, this felt too real to be all in his head.

Pulse pounding like a jackhammer, Shadow situated his front paws under himself and did the same with his hind ones, mimicking the position of a pet puppy rising from its resting position. After taking a deep breath that did nothing to calm himself, he pushed off the ground with trembling limbs, him being much heavier than he last remembered.

He eventually got himself to successfully stand, him panting with his large tongue poking out. Despite his currently four-legged appearance, Shadow hadn't lost any inches in height. Actually, he might've gotten _taller._

The Robotnik searched the floor for his phone with his ruby irises, skipping over the articles of clothing that had been torn, completely unwearable now. It didn't matter if he had any fingers, he could still possibly work the damned device, right? It _absolutely_ was worth the try.

His movements were awkward when he picked up one forelimb to scoot the remains of his shirt around to locate his phone. He growled to himself when he didn't uncover anything, fear building up in him at his feral sounds. Why did this have to happen to him? He hadn't done _anything_ wrong!

Shadow clumsily backed up to search beneath his shredded pants – feeling his new enlarged muscles rippling under his taut skin and thick fur – and promptly yelped in surprise when something cracked under his left hind paw. His heavy footsteps reached his sizable ears when he turned in a tight circle. It wasn't hard to spot the phone-shaped bump under the discarded cloth.

Heart dropping, he dipped his massive head down and bit the torn pant leg, it settled between two sets of large sharp teeth. Shadow dragged it from above the device and saw the large crack on the screen. It looked like it could still work though. He attempted to use his paw to activate it, but it was all for naught.

 _What in the hell can I do now?! I can't call anyone! I could…go and try to find help, but…_ Frenzied rubies drifted over to focus on the locked front door. _With how I am right now, I can't fucking leave! Even if I could have, who would I-?_

"Can you keep moving for me? I liked seeing you move like a newborn fawn ripe for the picking."

Every inch of Shadow's newfound body froze. His black furred ears rotated to where that voice came from before he gained the courage to turn his entire head.

Damn his shitty luck. He found the reason why his room had been drafty. It was _the_ boy. Somehow, he had slid the window pane open despite the lock on it. Or maybe Shadow had unlocked it earlier? He still couldn't recall. But none of that mattered now, because those bloodthirsty emerald orbs were boring into his soul.

The blue hedgehog was crouched on the sill, cobalt quills rustling in the breeze. There were no clothes on him (that didn't come as a surprise to Shadow anymore), but there was also no blood. Just dirt.

He was smirking, canines visible. "I was here the whole time." His voice wasn't as rough as before, like forming words was just a hobby he had dropped and recently picked up again, quickly relearning the process. The hedgehog tilted his head marginally, and Shadow could hardly breathe. Despite the other's facial expression, the boy was _pissed_. The Robotnik could feel the other's hate radiate off of him. "I came to kill you, but something told me to wait."

There was a blur and Shadow felt fingers harshly grab his muzzle and yank it downwards. He was eye-to-eye with the wild boy now. The smirk was still there. "Glad I did. I like a challenge. Having weak prey all the time gets boring. Too bad I can't make a feast outta you…" The hedgehog snapped his jaw right in front of Shadow's nose, and he jerked back in response, the boy letting his snout go.

Shadow was scared out of his mind, but he had to at least _attempt_ to throw the beast off. He growled and instantly regretted doing so when the other chuckled, the sound void of mirth. "Good effort. Now, if you want to actually scare someone, try something like…"

There was a blur, and Shadow could barely react before there was a weight on his shoulder blades. He yelped when a hand wrapped around his ears and jerked his head back, straining his neck, while another's nails was gripping his throat right where the jugular was. There was enough pressure that the claws broke skin.

"… _This_." A voice dripping with venom whispered, causing a massive shiver to run down Shadow's spine. He knew that he could possibly fight the other off in his…his new _form_ , but dammit, one wrong move and he was done for. There was then a sigh, hot breath flowing past his ears. "And I thought that this would be difficult. Oh well, enjoy the last few seconds of your-"

Both of them paused when there was a knock on the door. Shadow recovered first, latching to any chance he had to survive this unfortunate encounter. The hold on his ears had loosened marginally, distracted by the unexpected visitor, so Shadow snapped his head down and sunk his huge canine teeth into the arm that had been threatening his life.

An agonized yell filled the apartment, and the knocking on the door increased in intensity. However, Shadow paid no attention to the blue boy or the person desperate to get in. He was focused on one thing: the blood filling his mouth, gushing out on his tongue, and slithering down his throat.

He felt something within him give way, and suddenly nothing else mattered besides getting more.

A wicked snarl built up in his furred chest before pushing past his stained teeth. The wolf whipped his head back and forth, feeling the flesh and muscle tear in his mouth, more blood pooling in and dribbling out of his maw, splashing on the floor below. The pained screams meant nothing to him now.

He then threw the lighter one up in the air like a ragdoll before chomping down on the boy's right leg at the right time. Bone snapped, and his tongue lapped up more blood, relishing in the metallic taste. He didn't notice the streams of tears mixing in with the puddle of red below…

…but he _did_ notice the front door flying open.

The new-formed wolf snapped his head in that direction, ruby orbs narrowing at the anthro standing beneath the doorframe. It was Silver. He had unlocked the door somehow. The white hedgehog's golden irises were wide and swirling with terror. His whole frame was shaking as he stared. However, the canine didn't see any of that.

All he saw was more blood to taste.

The lycan relaxed his jaw to let the blue boy fall to the ground with a thump. He licked his lips before bearing his teeth, thundering growls promising nothing but pain and suffering. Shadow crouched low, taking a step forward with his giant paw. The boy under him scampered away – as much as he could – for the wolf was about to crush his broken leg.

He didn't pay any attention to the blue rodent. Fur bristled as he slowly approached Silver, wanting to sink his teeth into more skin. To his surprise, the trembling hedgehog closed the door back and locked it. Silver was basically offering himself up… _good._

The white rodent then held his arm out with a curiously unbroken hand attached, and there was a slam emitting from the side of the room. Blood-red eyes drifted over to the now closed window before refocusing on his prey. He stepped closer and closer, his desire for the life inside the other growing steadily.

"S-Stop…" Black ears twitched at the weak command. Silver had his back pressed against the door, and his voice was stuttering. However, those golden orbs had changed. They held empathy. Why? The wolf didn't care. He just growled louder as he closed the distance. "Stop!" Silver repeated. The predator was close enough to smell his desperation. It was like an appetizer; strings of drool dropped from his fangs. "This isn't you! I-I know…I _know_ that it tastes good, but – _ahh!_ "

The lycan swiped his powerful paw, sending Silver sprawling to the side, slashing his torso open. Silver hit the floor hard, hissing at the pain. The Robotnik loped over to him, each step thudding loudly in the apartment. He didn't give the white one any time to get up. A heavy pad pushed down on the anthro's chest as the wolf leaned in.

"Please…Please stop!" The smaller rodent begged from under him, his hands covering the gash in his stomach and staining them red in the process; he ignored the plea, licking the metallic liquid. "Please! Don't let it control you! _Shadow!"_

It was almost like a switch flipped in his mind.

Shadow blinked down at Silver, like this was his first time _actually_ seeing him. Noticing the blood, the Robotnik swallowed – clenching his jaw at the copper taste in his mouth – before swiftly backing off of the white hedgehog, muscles tense. He harshly shook his head, growling to himself.

 _What was I…What's…_

Shadow had to fight himself to keep from pouncing on Silver again, the blood equivalent to water in the middle of a burning desert. He made himself sit down on his haunches, panting harshly as he fought the urge. His breaths were shallow as he watched Silver sit up with a wince, holding his injury. Shadow couldn't hurt him. He was innocent; he had saved the Robotnik's _life._

But the blue boy on the other hand…

Said hedgehog had attempted to curl into himself while cradling his ruined arm, his broken leg sticking out awkwardly. His emerald orbs hadn't lost their sharpness, glaring at Shadow with anger. However, the fear lurking right underneath the surface was too blatant to hide. Blood was dripping out of him like a broken faucet, and Shadow felt a snarl building up within him.

"H-Hey, Shadow. Focus on me." Silver's voice was much closer than before, and Shadow faced back forward to see the other glancing up at him. A shaky smile was on his muzzle. "Okay? We've got to…get you back to normal."

 _Normal?_ The Robotnik felt relief fill his system. Even though those two most likely _started_ this whole mess, they were the ones – at least, Silver was – to do something to fix this. _Yes, please…_

Shadow nodded, the great contrast of red on white catching his eye again. Rubies flickered down to the arm hiding the wound before meeting golds once again. "D-Don't worry about me," Silver said with a breathy laugh, "I'm…a fast healer. See?" He moved his arm, spread his cut shirt, and to Shadow's shock, the slash was halfway healed already, scabbing over. "That's why my hand's fixed too…one of the perks…"

The despondent tone Silver used contradicted his words.

The white rodent then subtly shook his head. "But enough about me. Um…" Silver took a moment to examine Shadow's body. The wolf tilted his head while the other did so, wondering why the hell it was necessary. When Silver reached out to touch his fur, Shadow gave a warning growl. Silver needed to stop getting distracted. He wanted his damned _hands_ back.

"Sorry! Sorry…I was just…" The white anthro met his gaze again, and it was wary, but filled with wonder as well. "You can go all the way…" Shadow threw him a dangerous glare, bearing his teeth. Silver took a miniscule step back. "Okay! Okay, let's see… What were you doing before you…turned?"

"I was sick as hell, and-" Shadow stopped himself when Silver gasped, and he inwardly cursed. There was no way that he could communicate.

"You can't talk…?" The Robotnik shook his head at the question, and the other ran a hand down his face, smearing a bit of red on his cheek. "That's…oh man… Why can't-" Silver was interrupted at the sound of a thud a bit of a distance away from them.

The pair turned and noticed the blue boy on the floor, in a different position than before. He was whimpering to himself, eyes clamped painfully closed. He had tried to get up.

Shadow did nothing but growl at him – he deserved all of this and more – but Silver's expression morphed into a hesitantly concerned one. "Hey…er, I don't know your name." The azure hedgehog cracked open one unfocused eye, it trained on the one speaking. Shadow didn't have a clue to why his neighbor was concerned about that _murderer._ "Can you…heal like I can?"

The striped lupus couldn't believe that he was hearing what he was hearing. What was happening was something that shouldn't have escaped the boundaries of a _book!_ Why the hell were these things…real?

At first, the blue boy didn't answer. He just stared, lightly panting and enduring the obvious pain he was in. After a couple seconds however, chapped lips moved. "I…heal when I…change…"

Silver looked like he didn't understand. "Then why haven't you yet?"

Shadow was surprised that the boy had enough strength to roll his eyes. "Wait until…night…"

"Wait, what?" The white rodent gave the blue one a once-over. "You can't transform freely like I can?"

Now it was the time for the azure hedgie to grow confused. His brow creased marginally. "…Freely…?"

They gazed at each other for a bit, and Shadow was getting agitated. With a huff, he stomped one of his front paws before nudging Silver with his shoulder, almost sending his neighbor to the floor. Silver quickly regained his balance, scratching the back of his neck again. "Sorry again, I just…we need to help him."

 _What?!_ Shadow snarled at that ridiculous statement. Silver was supposed to be getting him back to normal, _not_ caring for the person who _attacked_ him!

"Where's your first-aid?" Silver asked, "In your bathroom right? I should be able to find it easily. Our apartments look similar enough…" He began to head for the hallway attached to the living room, but Shadow didn't let him go any farther. The lycan hopped into Silver's path, a threatening rumble in his chest. His neighbor held his hands up in innocence. "What? He's going to bleed out, Shadow! I know he…isn't the best citizen, but we can't just let him die!"

 _The hell we can't._ Shadow inwardly retorted.

"You're not on death's door," Silver reasoned, running a hand through his long quills. "We just have to wrap him up so he'll last until tonight. Then I doubt he'll try to attack you again."

Shadow ceased his growling, cocking his head. _How the hell does he know that?_

"It's true…" The striped lupus frowned at the raspy voice. Down on the floor, the electric emeralds were trained on him. "Came here…to kill you…so I could leave…but…you're not pulling…anymore. Stopped when you…" The azure hedgie gestured to his arm and leg.

The Robotnik found Silver again, not sure to trust those words. The white anthro nodded. _I'm not pulling? So that means…that the boy can leave the city? Leave me and everyone else alone?_ With that thought swirling around in his mind, Shadow let out a defeated snort before shifting out of Silver's way, long fur bouncing with the movement.

He bobbed his head toward the bathroom, and the hedgehog gave him a relieved smile. "I just want to wrap him up, then we can get you back to your hedgehog self, yeah?" As Silver jogged off, Shadow heavily sighed before drifting his gaze over to his couch, yearning the soft cushions. He couldn't enjoy it however without ruining it with the leftover blood.

Which still looked as good as a popsicle on a summer's day, by the way.

To keep from doing something stupid, Shadow was going to lay down on the cold floor, but then he had a sudden itch right behind his left ear. He knew already that using his front paws was going to be near impossible. Accepting his fate, Shadow sat down and lifted a hind leg, taking care of the itch like a damned dog.

And what made it worse was that the boy was smirking at him.

 _Yeah, keep testing me jackass. I can kill you in a quick second and enjoy every moment of it._

The Robotnik finished up right when Silver reappeared with a wet rag, some disinfectant, and a roll of gauze in his arms. Shadow got comfortable on his stomach as his neighbor squatted down in front of the blue hedgehog, nose scrunched up.

Silver was about to reach out and start the cleaning process, but he paused. "We have a truce right now, right? I can touch you without you attacking me?" The boy languidly nodded and then hissed in discomfort when Silver used the rag. "Yeah it's gonna hurt…"

Shadow had to lower his head and close his eyes. The sight _and_ the smell was too much. He pushed his cravings down and listened to the multitude of pained noises the boy let out as time went on.

He was on the verge of falling asleep when Silver's voice jerked him fully awake. "Done!" Rubies blinked open to see the azure anthro's arm wrapped up nicely, faded red stains slowly growing on them. Also, it seemed like the broken leg had been set back straight, it too wrapped up to decrease blood loss. It wasn't a permanent solution – the other's leg couldn't be moved – but it should last until sundown.

The boy was sitting up, glancing over his covered wounds. "Thanks," he muttered. Shadow felt the awkwardness, and he could sympathize there. They had been fighting _just_ the night before.

"No problem." Silver set down the medical supplies before walking towards Shadow and plopping down with his legs crossed. "Alright, back to you." The white rodent tapped his chin, bottom lip trapped between his teeth. "Well, when it…first happened to me, it took a couple of…" There was a faraway look in his stare for a moment before it disappeared. It was so quick that Shadow believed that he had imagined it. "…hours to return back to normal."

Shadow gasped, his tail twitching in shock. _Hours?! I want to turn back now!_

Silver must've sensed his impatience. "That was a long time ago! I've mastered it by now!" A long time ago? The wolf narrowed his eyes in thought. How old was he when he first…turned? His neighbor threw him out of his musings. "What I do is just picture this body, wish to look like this, and…poof. Transformation complete."

 _That's it? It…has to be more complicated than that. More than just wishing._ Despite his thoughts, Silver was staring at him expectantly. There were no signs of mockery. Shadow took a deep breath and closed his eyes, doing what the other told him. He imagined his previous body with short fur, curved quills, and a bipedal stance.

His eyes flew open when his whole frame began to violently shake. Shadow focused on Silver, who was watching him intensely. The Robotnik hissed when his bones and muscles began to shrink, when his long fur disappeared back into his skin, and when his fangs dramatically shortened. Shadow felt _everything._ Every follicle, tooth, claw, bone, and muscle.

The striped hedgehog's lungs were working overtime at the end, him on his elbows and knees. Shadow, after a minute, sat back on his legs, examining his arms and hands. Feeling relieved was an understatement. He had _fingers_ again. The rodent then got his feet underneath him, checking behind himself for a large tail. There wasn't one.

Finally. _Something_ had gone right today.

There was brief applause. Shadow stopped looking over his normal body, subtly raising a brow at Silver's proud expression. His neighbor jumped to his feet as well. "That was cool! I've never actually gotten to watch the change! And it went smoothly too, _way_ better than my first time."

A frown grew on Shadow's muzzle, those last few words repeating in his mind. _Better than my first time…_ The Robotnik stayed silent, the weight of that phrase crashing down on him. They both had a first transformation. A transformation into an unnatural _freak_ of _nature._ Shadow now was…was…

Silver's smile waned a bit. "Shadow? Are you alright?"

His respiration rate was increasing once more, ruby irises snapping back and forth between his neighbor's fretting gaze and the blue boy's blank stare. There was a sudden draft – Shadow feeling the breeze in a region it _shouldn't_ be felt – and that was a good enough excuse as any.

He hastily covered up his groin area before excusing himself and bolting for his bedroom. He hastily locked the door behind him and leaned heavily against it. One day. All it took was _one_ day, and he had become one of _them._

Shadow nearly jumped out of his skin when soft knocks emitted from behind him. "…Shadow? You okay in there?"

The Robotnik responded to Silver's question with his own. "That was…That was a one-time thing, right? You…or _he_ did something to me. I'm not a damned _monster_ like you two, am I?"

The pregnant pause stretched on for far too long. "I didn't do anything to make you like this, and well…you don't have to be a monster."

Shadow's brow furrowed. "What in the hell does that-"

"You don't mind if I cleaned up, right? The longer the blood sits, the harder it'll be to get rid of."

He felt like Silver was hiding something from them, but at the same time, the white hedgehog's earlier statement could also be understood completely stand-alone. Eventually he breathed out, "No. I don't mind."

When footsteps faded away, Shadow peeled himself off his bedroom door and padded over to his wooden dresser. He pulled out the second to last drawer and palmed the first pair of boxers he saw. Once his…delicates were covered, he searched for a simple t-shirt, zeroing in on a grey one.

Before he threw that on, his eyes wandered to the large mirror sitting on top of the dresser. Shadow slowly lowered the article of clothing – it held limply in his left hand – and he lifted his right to his face, using a finger to trace his cheek where his stitches were _supposed_ to be. They had fallen out, and there was no sign that his face had been slashed.

His focus then fell on his midsection, searching for the injury he had received last night. The bandages were gone as well, and his chest was smooth. No cuts, no scabs, no scars.

Shadow swallowed the lump in his throat before hurrying up and putting on the shirt. He gripped the edges of the dresser tightly, his reflection staring back at him. He had the healing… _ability_ of that blue annoyance with the transforming pattern of Silver. His knuckles strained. _I don't have to be a monster… He meant that I have a choice to change, and I do… If I can help it, today would be the only day I lose my thumbs, dammit._

He nodded to his reflective twin before leaving his bedroom.

When he first entered the den, Shadow paused at what he saw. The blue boy was floating in the air, semi-curled and sleeping, and Silver was working under him, the mop he had found effectively wiping up the blood.

The Robotnik pinched himself.

No luck.

"You go wash," Shadow uttered, Silver glancing up at him and an azure ear twitching. "I'll finish up here."

"…Alright." Silver leaned against the handle of the mop, pointing up to the hedgehog above him. "Where do I put him?"

The striped rodent took in the boy's condition – filthy – and inwardly sighed. He turned on his heel. "I'll get a towel."

"I'll wait to you get back to go, um…" Shadow peered over his shoulder to be greeted with the sight of Silver nervously twiddling his thumbs. "And well…pizza or take-out later?" he asked, hope sparkling in those golden orbs of his.

Silver had saved him many times now in different ways. There was no reason to crush him again. "Pizza," Shadow mumbled, turning back around. He could feel the smile aimed at him. "Pepperoni."

* * *

The pizza had come and gone, gurgling in the hedgehog's stomachs.

Shadow spent the last few hours napping and doing homework, texting Rouge with his working phone that he was perfectly fine now – technically – and telling Maria about his sick day. She freaked, of course, but she had calmed down now that whatever he had disappeared.

He let Silver stay because the white one had insisted that he protect him from the blue boy if he decided to wake up and attack, despite his horrid injuries. His neighbor was resting on the opposite end of the couch the Robotnik was on, eyes glued to the drama movie on screen. Silver had been watching television and playing apps on his phone to pass his time, since Shadow didn't really bother with any kind of conversation.

Surprisingly, no other resident on the floor had come to check up on them, given the insane amount of noise earlier. But then again, it had been during working and school hours, so maybe no one was around to hear.

The sun had made its way across the sky, its evening rays filtering into the room.

"Why in the world does she like a guy like him?" Silver commented aloud, "I mean, he _sparkles!_ "

Shadow just turned a page in his history textbook; he didn't want to know.

A few more minutes ticked by until the other anthro spoke again, directly to the striped rodent this time. "Hey Shadow." Said Robotnik tore his attention away from his work. Silver was staring at the floor now, shifting uncomfortably on the sofa. "Can I ask you a question?"

"It depends." He was instantly put on guard.

Golds hesitantly met rubies. "It's about…earlier today. When you…" Silver trailed off and cleared his throat before continuing. "How could you…do that?"

Shadow sent him a glare. "Do _what_ Silver? Be more specific." He had done a _lot_ today, too much.

"Taste, um…my blood."

He gave the longer quilled hedgehog an odd look.

Silver played with the string of his sweatpants. "Well, I was just wondering because…I… Ithrewupaftertastingyours."

Shadow's mind took the initiative of slowing that sentence down. _I threw up after tasting-_ "What?!" he yelled, completely caught off guard. "You did _what?_ "

Silver looked like he wanted to disappear into the cushions. "It was after I brought you back from the hospital. That sheet with your blood on it…I couldn't help myself…"

The striped rodent couldn't believe that this was his life. He refused. "So you're telling me that you _tasted_ my blood and that it…it's _toxic_ to you?" _Silver vomited…_ Shadow glanced at the sleeping azure anthro on the floor, a towel spread out underneath him. _And he did too. So I'm protected from being eaten by them. Great. It isn't like they still couldn't gut me with their damn claws or anything._

"Yeah," Silver squeaked, "but you tasted mine and was fine… Why?"

Shadow resisted the urge to rub his temples. "Silver, you're asking this to a person who turned for the first time _today_."

The other laughed sheepishly. "You're right, sorry. Just curious, is all. It's just weird."

He went back to watching TV, but Shadow didn't return to his homework. Silver had thrown him mentally back to that moment, and now he had his own question to ask. "Where did you go after you ran out?"

The white anthro suddenly stiffened. "I told you, I went to get something to eat."

Knowing what he knew now, that phrase currently had two different connotations. "What, or _who_ , did you-"

"Shadow, _please._ "

The desperation in Silver's voice snapped Shadow's mouth shut. The hedgehog was gazing at the screen, but the Robotnik figured that he wasn't really watching. A pale hand had pulled the string taut.

Shadow let it go. He realized that he didn't want to know anyway.

* * *

The second the sun slipped under the horizon, it began.

First was the heavy breathing. The blue boy was loudly panting on his towel, gaining the attention of both Shadow and Silver. Second were the convulsions. His eyes were squeezed shut as his muscles began to violently jerk, fists clenched tightly. Third was the grotesque transformation.

Bones snapped and rejoined, muscles tearing themselves apart, vocal cords producing deeper and deeper growls. Shadow was transfixed as he observed, reminded of the first time he heard these sounds. Back in his car on that deserted road. Where everything started.

It was quick. Barely a minute passed, and in place of the lithe azure hedgehog was a rough-haired beast who could smash someone's head open in a single blow. True to the boy's words, his leg no longer seemed broken and his arm was in perfect condition. A massive hand – Shadow felt something akin to jealousy spark within him. He was the _only_ one without fingers – pulled the now loose wrappings away, them falling to the floor, instantly forgotten.

The beast stood up on all fours, shaking himself and fluffing out his fur. Then his piercing eyes zeroed in on Silver and then Shadow, lingering on the latter. Lips were pulled back, and a low growl tore through his throat. The striped hedgehog stiffened while the white one eyed the boy cautiously.

"I thought we had a truce?"

The werewolf sneered at him. "You and I do, but with _him_ -" A large arm quickly stretched out and grabbed Shadow's chest fur. With a shout, he was dragged until he was face-to-face with the beast. "-I need to make a few things clear." Shadow struggled, but he knew that it was futile. There was no way that he was escaping this grip. There was no nonsense in the blue one's voice. "I tried to kill you. You tried to kill me. So right now, we're _even_. But if I ever see you again, I'll assume that you're intruding in my territory. And let me tell you, a _pack_ of wolves can't bring me down. Do you understand, _pal_?"

"There'd be no reason for our paths to cross again," Shadow responded, the urge to snarl springing up out of nowhere. He kept it down however. He didn't make it this far just to die anyway. "If that's all you needed to say, then _leave._ "

The boy let him go with a scoff. "Don't need to tell me twice. I'm tired of this stupid place." The beast padded over to the open window and leaped up onto the ledge, his body just small enough to fit through the gap.

He was about to jump down, but Silver's voice filled the air. "Before you go…can you tell me your name?" The beast gave him a 'Are you serious?' look, and Shadow mimicked that expression. Did it _really_ matter? "What's the harm? I saved your life, yeah? Don't be an ass like _someone_ I know." Shadow's look turned into a withering glare. Silver was wise to avoid his heated stare.

"I don't care what you think of me. We won't meet again," the boy answered. It seemed like he was going to disappear any second now. There was a slightly torn expression on his face however, and it wasn't long until he sighed. "It's Sonic."

Then he leaped.

Shadow jogged over to the window and watched the blackened figure drop down the many flights. When he landed, he ran into the shadows, lost within them. Shadow reached up and closed the pane of glass, frowning at the broken lock. He needed to get that fixed pronto.

"Sonic?" Silver echoed behind him. "That doesn't sound like a real name."

"Neither does Silver."

"Neither does _Shadow_."

The Robotnik saw that coming a mile away.

Silver stretched on the couch before standing up. "Well, I guess I don't need to be around anymore, heh, since he's gone." He ruffled his head quills. "I'll go back to my apartment, give you some alone time you probably need." He briefly chuckled as he made his way toward the front door. "What a day…"

Shadow followed him, planning to lock up after his neighbor left. "Where are you going afterwards?"

Silver frowned in confusion, opening the door slower than normal. "To my bedroom…?"

The striped hedgehog rolled his eyes as the other stepped into the hallway, eying him weirdly. "What I _mean_ is where you going to go now?" There was still no comprehension, and Shadow inwardly groaned. "I'm not pulling the monst- _Sonic_ or you anymore. You don't have to stay here where your secret isn't a secret."

"Oh, oh! Right," his neighbor snickered, and Shadow couldn't help to think that it was a tad forced. Silver scratched his arm and glanced in the direction of his apartment. "I haven't… I don't know yet, really. I have to think about it."

Shadow grunted, making a move to shut the door.

"Night…" Silver muttered back before he gasped. "Wait!" The black anthro held the door still, a brow raised in question. "One more thing," the white rodent continued, "Do you…want to know how to change into your other form? Just in case?"

"No." He didn't have to think about it, really.

"I kinda expected that." Silver waved at him. "Well, sweet dreams then, Shadow."

Said hedgehog nodded. "You too." After turning his lock, he connected his forehead with the cool wood, his eyes fluttering closed. His world had been turned upside down, and he was exhausted. His body was anyway. His mind was a whirlwind, rewinding and picking apart all that had happened. Shadow's gut wrenched at the memory of him swallowing streams of blood.

 _You don't have to be a monster._

He really hoped that Silver was telling the truth.

* * *

 **Finally! After ten chapters, we** _ **finally**_ **know the blue boy's name! XD And whew…Shadow really went wild, yeah? Hopefully he can keep that part of him leashed up ;)**


	11. Surprise surprise

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **Chapter 11**

"That damned cat _has_ to be sadistic."

"You can say that again Knuckie."

"But I don't know though…does he even notice that we're practically dying on the track?"

Black ears twitched when those voices floated up over the excited chatter of the surrounding students who survived the school day, looking forward to the weekend. Red orbs were slightly jaded as they focused on the trio a bit ahead, them not yet noticing their lagging fourth member.

The three were trudging along, complaining about their exhausted calves; however, it was Shadow who had gotten the short end of the stick. That day in P.E., Coach Big had split the class up into two groups. Half of the students would spend the period doing cardio while the other half would spend their time in the weight room. Students were randomly chosen, and Shadow had thought that he was lucky for avoiding that dreaded track.

Key word: _thought._

Big had assigned them an insane amount of reps per machine before he left with the cardio group, leaving Shadow and his unfortunate peers with the weights. The coach hadn't been watching, but paranoia about video cameras hidden in the room somewhere kept the students from slacking, pushing their bodies past their limits. And it didn't help that the cat's pet frog had been sitting in a portable tank just _watching_ them.

Shadow just wanted to push Big down a sizable hill, laughing while the cat rolled uncontrollably.

Anyway, because of his damned coach, his _whole_ body was sore. Every step was torture. He wasn't even sure that he was going to make it to the student parking lot in one piece.

"I doubt it hon," Rouge answered Amy's question, slightly limping. "I really don't think he cares. But, I'm _so_ glad that we didn't have to go lift weights like – Shadow?" The bat had been searching for the striped hedgehog, and her expressive teals glinted in slight worry when they finally found him. Rouge pursed her lips, halting in her stride.

Rose and Knuckles did so as well, the former about to backtrack to help Shadow. The Robotnik let out a somewhat relieved sigh when Rouge stopped her and gestured for the echidna to assist him instead. Shadow was little more than dead weight at the moment, and he knew that Amy could do nothing but potentially trip him up and send him sprawling to the ground.

Shadow withheld a hiss when Knuckles threw his arm around red shoulders. The vermillion anthro grunted as he practically dragged him along, mumbling under his breath about fat cats and poisoning lasagna. Nothing about Shadow being a burden, which probably would have happened if time hadn't let the echidna's tolerance of him grow. There was also the fact that Tikal had – slowly but surely – stopped being terrified of him.

It had been almost two months since he had last seen Silver, the blue boy (Sonic, his mind instantly provided), and his own rather… _beastly_ alter ego. Since then, there had been no other reported gruesome deaths in Station Square.

Tower had gotten off his back after a week of peace, so calculus went by smoothly nowadays (well, teacher wise. The course work was hell). After a month passed, Tikal hadn't stared at him like he was going to shoot up the school or blow something up or something like that. Her fleeting looks had decreased in frequency until they ceased altogether. The teacher began to take a liking to him – being a great student and all – and Knuckles stopped hating him for making his cousin anxious.

That was when time began to do its job, eventually having Shadow and Knuckles tolerate each other enough to not throw insults every five minutes.

Ever since Sonic and Silver disappeared, his life had taken a turn for the better. He had gotten a new (used) car. His school hours were bearable, and out of class, Shadow didn't have to worry about being stalked or attacked. Knowing that he had… _another_ side of himself had stuck in the back of his mind for some time, but then that thought faded away as well (after Rouge eventually stopped questioning about his unscarred face. He never gave her a straight forward answer). It was like the chain of events after hitting Sonic with his car had been nothing but a forgotten nightmare at this point.

Except…there was one little thing that Shadow couldn't explain.

Or rather someone.

That someone was his chemistry teacher, Dr. Eggman. The _day_ after Sonic disappeared, the human became more hateful than he already was, especially towards Shadow. It was strange. The man had been so excited about having a Robotnik in his class, but now the doctor didn't seem to give a shit. Eggman was treating him like he had taken a piss in the man's cereal every morning.

The grading was harsh, the teacher would barely answer any of his questions, and those glares held nothing but contempt.

Shadow hadn't done anything wrong, and Eggman couldn't have known about his strange…condition since he hadn't even _thought_ about it in so long.

But he couldn't do a damn thing about it, could he? So the Robotnik just endured chemistry the best he could.

Back to the present, the crisp autumn air made a slight chill run down Shadow's spine. There was a heavy cloud cover overhead, the area appearing dull and gloomy. The handful of trees around were losing their green, browns and yellows pushing the summertime color away.

Rose brushed her bangs out of her face, the gentle breeze blowing them all over the place. The pinkette turned to Shadow and held up her hands, reaching for the striped anthro's dangling arm. "Gym really beat you up… I can give you a quick massage if you want? To loosen up your muscles?"

Shadow leaned away from the girl, not caring that more of his weight was dumped on a not happy Knuckles. "No need," he quickly retorted. After carefully repositioning his bookbag that was about to fall unceremoniously to the ground, he added, "A massage is the last thing I want at the moment." _Especially if there was a high chance that you'd just make everything worse by getting too excited._

Amy pulled back, her worry not dissipating. "Well…if you say so…" She glanced over to the crowd of students strolling away from the student parking lot, some of them heading for the buses, and some going to get picked up by a parent or relative. Rose faced back forward and gave a fleeting wave. "I guess it's time for me to go then; my mom's probably waiting! See you guys later!"

"Wait a minute Pinky." Rouge's voice kept the hedgehog from departing, and Shadow rose a brow at the bat, wondering what was on her mind. Amy cocked her head, listening. Rouge continued, "Are you busy later on today?"

Rose appeared to think for a second before communicating a negative. "Nope! Why?" Amy studied Rouge's face. An eager smile grew on her muzzle. "You have something planned, don't you?"

The bat shrugged. "It all depends on the boys, really." She rose a brow at Shadow and Knuckles. "So how about it? Are you two free?"

"I'm not doing anything," Shadow muttered hesitantly. He didn't like that mischievous smile making all kinds of alarms go off in his mind.

"I'm free." Knuckles shifted his weight, clearly impatient to keep moving. Shadow didn't blame him; he wasn't the lightest anthro around. "Why?"

Rouge put a hand on her hip, fingers drumming against her side. "Well…today, Twinkle Park is having this thing were couples get in free, and-"

"Couples get in free?!" Shadow sucked in a pained breath when Amy latched on to his free arm, his poor muscles protesting the instant pressure. His ears plastered themselves against his head in response to the pinkette's screech. "We _have_ to go! You can be with Knuckles, and I'm with Shadow! It's perfect! We won't have to spend a dime!"

"I'm down," Knuckles said, and Shadow scowled at the amusement in the echidna's tone. "What time?"

"I was thinking about eight. I would've _loved_ to do a midnight run, but it's supposed to rain." Rouge sent a smirk Shadow's way. He knew that his discontent was visible for everyone to see. It was too bad that a specific hedgehog couldn't _interpret_ it. "So how about you sugar? Are you up for it?"

The Robotnik's lips had formed to spit out a forceful and lucid _no_ , but to his disdain, Rose thought it was a good idea to speak for him. "Of course he's up for it! It's free! Nothing gets better than that! And plus…" Amy nuzzled his shoulder a bit. "We'll be the cutest couple out there!" She didn't bother to mend her statement, stars practically shining in her eyes. "I can't _wait_ until tonight!"

 _I can,_ Shadow fumed as Rose skipped away.

"Man, she does not give up, does she?" Knuckles chuckled when she was out of earshot. Shadow was _so_ glad that he was entertained by this. "Maybe you should just give in, Robotnik. Give her a chance."

"And have her smother me twenty-four seven? _No_ thank you." Shadow's reply was snappish, venom dripping.

"C'mon hon, you won't make her pay to get in, will you? Especially when she sees Knuckie and I going in free?" Rouge giggled, and the striped hedgehog inwardly cursed her cunning. "She'll still be all over you on Monday; however, instead of smiling, she'd be getting tears all over your stuff."

No, not just her cunning. Curse her entire persona as a whole.

"Just take me to my damn car," he muttered, it dangerously close to a growl due to his own guilty conscience.

He blamed Maria and all her life lessons.

The bat's smile never disappeared. "It won't be too bad hon, you'll see." Rouge then went over to peck Knuckles on the cheek. Shadow pointedly looked away as the echidna's face turned as red as his fur. "Be a dear and escort him to his car? I'm afraid he won't make it if you don't."

"Y-Yeah sure." Shadow heard Rouge walk away. "Where's your car? Don't tell me it's at the far end. If it is, you're on your own."

The black anthro bobbled his head in a specific direction, brooding over why the hell Twinkle Park had to be so damned _considerate_.

* * *

Shadow let out a breathy sigh as he locked his front door behind himself. The hedgie carefully took off his shoes by the doorframe, dragging his feet over to his couch and dropping his bag beside it on the floor.

He grimaced when he gingerly felt his arms, wishing that Big would miraculously get fired. The Robotnik attempted to stretched them so they wouldn't be that sore for so long, but he couldn't do it. Shadow wracked his brain for any ideas, wondering what tactics he could use to ease his suffering.

Heat. Heat helped with sore muscles, right? He could easily run a hot bath and soak in it for a bit. He had plenty of time before his outing tonight.

Shadow was about to head for the bathroom, but then a thought covered in cobwebs managed to push to the front of his brain, causing him to pause. He could…He could just as easily…

He shook his head harshly. No. He wasn't going to do that. He was going to take care of himself the _normal_ way, no unnaturally morphing bodies needed. He was going to keep that under wraps, forever preferably. He wasn't a freak.

Another sigh passed through weary lips. Shadow shuffled over to where his living room ended and his short hallway began, but then a round of knocking locked his joints. The hedgehog peered over his shoulder, a frown present on his muzzle. He had no idea who could be at his door. It couldn't be Rouge, Amy, or Knuckles, and…it wasn't the time of year for girl scout cookies to be sold, right?

Well, whoever it was seemed determined to meet him, more knocks echoing around the apartment. Huffing to himself and changing his expression to his most unfriendly one, Shadow went back over to his door and looked through the peephole, one eye closed.

Who he saw made his jaw drop to the ground.

What…What was she doing here…?

Swiftly, Shadow unlocked the lock and flung the door open, staring at his sister like she would disappear in a puff of smoke any second.

The Robotnik gaped like a fish out of water. "M-Maria?! What are you-"

"Surprise, lil hedgie!" Letting go of her luggage, the bubbly blonde launched herself at Shadow, causing him to stubble backwards a bit. The hedgehog resisted any urge to groan in pain as he wrapped her arms around her as well, too shocked to form words.

Maria pulled back after a couple of seconds, beaming brightly. "I wanted to surprise you! I guess it worked, hm?" Hell yes it did! The last time Shadow saw her was before school started, and he had _no_ idea that she was coming to visit him.

The black anthro stepped aside as she went to retrieve her bags, reentering the apartment with a pep in her step. Shadow suspected that she was staying the whole weekend, which made the most sense.

After closing the door, he asked, "Does grandfather kn-"

"He sure does!" Maria chirped, scanning the immediate area. "All my classes today were canceled, and I thought why not?" The young woman then paused, her expression changing into a concerned one as she refocused on Shadow. "Unless it's a bad time? Are you busy all weekend?"

Shadow curtly shook his head with a subtle smile on his face. "No, it's a great time for you to visit. I won't be doing anything but schoolwork and lounging around, anyway."

"Well that's good, I should've thought about that before hopping on a plane." Maria giggled to herself – sounding like a wind chime – as she glanced around the living room once more. "I'm impressed Shadow. I thought I'd be greeted with a giant mess when I came over!" She deposited her bags on the couch before moving over to the window, taking in the view.

"You know how I am, Maria." Shadow inwardly hissed as he approached said bags, taking them into his protesting arms. "I can't stand clutter."

His sister laughed, flipping a hand. "Oh I know. I've just gotten used to seeing guys' dorms just _filled_ with trash, and I was a bit worried that you could've picked up that habit too."

"You're worrying for nothing," Shadow replied, slowly but surely making his way toward the exiting hallway. "I'm taking your stuff to my room, since you're too in love with the view to do it yourself." That gained another giggle from the blonde. "You can have my bed while you stay. The couch is comfortable enough for-" All thoughts came to a halt when Maria's sentence fully registered. Ruby orbs narrowed. "You've been in the male dorms?"

Maria froze up – just for a millisecond – but Shadow noticed anyway. She peered over her shoulder at him with a grin. "Just for studying! Get your head out of the gutter, lil hedgie!"

"Just for studying…better be…" The hedgehog muttered as he continued his trek, attempting to hide his discomfort from his sister. But then again, she had the eyes of a hawk, and he really wasn't surprised when her voice wrung out.

"Are you okay Shadow?" Clear navy irises examined his frame, lips pulling down at the edges. Maria approached him, blue dress flowing with each step. She stopped in front of him, raising her chin a bit to maintain eye contact. "You look stiff…"

"That's an understatement." Just thinking about that cat made him angry again. "My P.E. coach doesn't have a conscience. I had to spend my time in the school's weight room. It wasn't a pleasant experience."

Maria let out a quiet gasp. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier Shadow? Letting me hug you like that!" Her cheeks puffed out, and suddenly her motherly side reared its head. Before Shadow could stop her, she had taken the bags out of his arms. "I got these! I can put them in your room and then start running your hot bath. The heat should heal you right up."

Inwardly, Shadow was relieved that his arms were empty, but he still had to put up a fight. They were siblings after all. "But I can-"

"No buts, mister." Her tone was final, and the hedgehog knew that he'd lost. Mother Maria was a force to be reckoned with. "The only thing you have to do is find some espom salt. Do you have any?" Shadow had no idea what that was, and his confusion showed clearly on his face. Maria shook her head in jest. "I'm assuming that's a no. Espom salt is just something that'll speed up the process. The hot water still should do its job."

"The bath should be more than enough." The hedgehog tried to stretch his arms again, managing to do it a little longer than before. "So what do I do until it's ready since your forbidding me from helping?"

Maria nodded her head at the couch. "You just sit and rest until I call you." The blonde sighed, frown deepening. "If I ever meet your coach, I'm seriously going to chew him out for hurting my baby brother."

Shadow moved toward the sofa and cautiously squatted down until he was sinking into the cushion. He already felt _so_ much better. "I'm not a baby anymore, Maria…"

"You're younger than me, so that qualifies you as my baby brother. Forever and always!"

The striped rodent resisted rolling his eyes as Maria disappeared. Little brother he could tolerate, but baby? He was _taller_ than her for goodness sake.

A buzz then went off in his pocket – his phone on vibrate because of school – and he pulled it out, reading the text he received.

 _ **Rouge:**_ _Let's meet up at the west entrance of Twinkle Park, hon. I already told Pinky and Knuckie._

 _Shit_ , Shadow cursed. With Maria surprising him, he had completely forgotten about going out later. A black finger tapped the side of the phone as he thought. He was still inclined to go (the trip _was_ free, despite the extra baggage that came with it), but he didn't want to leave Maria here by herself. Yes, he knew that she technically was an adult and could take care of herself, he didn't want her to be lonely.

After all, she did visit for him.

Maria could come, but then she would have to pay. That was fine. Shadow had plenty of cash to spend.

 _ **Shadow:**_ _Alright. I need to ask you something. My sister came to town, and I want to ask her to come along. Are you up for meeting her?_

Shadow knew the answer to that question already. Rouge had always wanted to meet Maria, and Maria Rouge, but obstacles had always popped up.

 _ **Rouge:**_ _Maria's at your place!? Was that even a question Shadow? Of course she can come!_

 _ **Shadow:**_ _I'll ask her._

"Maria?" he called.

"Yeah?" Her voice came from his bedroom.

"I actually am going out tonight; I forgot to tell you. Rouge, a couple of…" _annoyances._ "…friends, and I are going to Twinkle Park at eight. Would you like to go?"

"Would they mind?"

"They wouldn't."

"Then yes!"

 _ **Shadow:**_ _She's coming._

 _ **Rouge:**_ _Make sure you pay for her, since she's technically going solo._

 _ **Shadow:**_ _I have it covered._

"I'll pay for you," Shadow said, tucking his phone back into his pocket.

"No you don't-"

"There's a couples get in free thing today. I can cover you since you would be the only one without-"

"Ooo couples?" Shadow inwardly groaned. "Who's yours? Rouge? Or someone else? My lil hedgie is growing up!"

This time, the groan was audible. "It's not like that, Maria. Rouge is going with her boyfriend, and I'm going paired as a _friendly-_ " And that was really pushing it. "-couple. Nothing romantic."

"If you say so…"

The hedgehog was going to defend himself, but gushing water began to run. Maria must've entered the bathroom sometime during their conversation. Thinking about it now, he didn't know if inviting her was actually a good idea. He didn't need her encouraging Rose at _all_.

Shadow involuntarily shivered.

He was going to have a nice _long_ talk with Maria.

* * *

"So are we going to pick up your date?"

Shadow gave Maria a level look as he palmed his keys and wallet. After explaining, his sister had fully understood his and Rose's 'relationship' (or the complete lack of one), and now she couldn't stop smiling about it.

"No," he breathed out, "I'm sure Rouge is picking her up. The less time I spend with her, the better." The rodent went over to the front door, his muscles more relaxed and flexible now because of the bath. He gripped the knob.

Maria stepped up to his right and patted his shoulder. "Don't be so down! I'll be there to protect you from her cooties! Feel better now?"

Shadow blinked at her. "You know, sometimes I'm glad that we live far away from each other."

"You don't mean that…" Maria reached over to boop his nose, him reacting too slow to stop her. "You love me."

The striped hedgehog just snorted, ignoring her giggles, before opening the door and nearly jumping out of his skin.

It took his brain a couple of seconds to figure out what, or rather _who_ , he was seeing.

"Silver?" Shadow's heart was slowly returning back to its natural rhythm. The hedgehog couldn't help to narrow his eyes at the white rodent, who was lowering his arm that was ready to knock. His life had gone back to normal after Silver and Sonic had left, and he didn't know how he felt with his former neighbor showing back up. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Shadow!" Silver responded with a grin and a brief wave, eyes crinkling. Shadow tilted his head now that his attention was on the other's eyes. They weren't the golden yellow he was used to. A sapphire blue had replaced that warm color. _What the hell?_ Like Silver had read his mind, he pointed to his face and said, "You noticed, right? I got contacts! Well, colored ones." He chuckled. "I've had contacts for a while now and I wanted to change things up."

Shadow's curiosity for that particular detail was sated, but Silver hadn't answered his first question yet. "Why are you here?"

He felt a light slap on his arm. He'd forgotten Maria was standing beside him. The blonde tisked. "That's not how you treat your friends, Shadow!" His sister then gestured to herself, returning Silver's wave. "Hi! I'm Maria, Shadow's sister. It's nice to meet you!"

"Shadow's…sister?" Silver turned his attention to Maria, raising a brow. Then a wide smile grew on his muzzle as he held a hand out for her to shake. Shadow didn't like this. Silver's open expression looked a _little_ too much like Amy's when she's clinging on to him. "Well it's nice to meet you too, Maria! I'm Silver!"

Maria clasped her hand in his, and the shake went on far too long for Shadow's liking.

They eventually let go at the same time. Silver glanced back over to the owner of the apartment, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well I'm here because…I don't know…I wanted to visit? It's been a while, and I want to catch up, is all. Haven't really made a lot of friends where I moved."

"Aw!" Maria cooed. "You two must be really good friends for you to seek Shadow out!"

Silver smiled, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Shadow just wanted to smack it away. "Uh yeah! We were neighbors and I guess you can say that we've gotten pretty close. I trust him a lot."

 _Yeah, that saving-my-life-multiple-times-and-helping-me-turn-back-to-normal kind of close,_ the black hedgehog thought. That was part of Shadow's dilemma. Silver wasn't normal, and Shadow didn't know if he wanted the white one around his group from school or around his sister. Especially since the pink on Silver's face continued to spread.

Maria chuckled behind her palm. "Well aren't you a cutie!" The blush was spreading to the other's ears now. Shadow withheld a glower. The blonde turned to her sibling. "Can he come with us to Twinkle Park? He can be coupled with me! That way, everyone gets in free!" She grinned at Silver. "Do you want to come?"

"Sure!" he chirped quickly, "I love rollercoasters!"

Shadow really wanted to say no, but the look on Maria's face kept him from doing so. He then focused on Silver, who was wearing the most innocent expression, like he was nothing but a child hoping to get what he wanted. But Shadow knew what he wanted, and it wasn't just to go to the theme park.

Silver was just a male Amy, through and through. However, Maria was less rigid and distant than Shadow was.

See his problem?

It didn't matter that he was younger, he was still Maria's brother dammit, and he was going to protect her.

Especially from a mythical werewolf.

And no, he wasn't a hypocrite.

"Fine," he eventually forced out. "I'll let the others know that there'll be another extra."

"Yay!" Both Silver and Maria celebrated at once, high-fiving each other. However, Silver didn't end the contact after the clap, his fingers curling and gingerly holding Maria's own. He softly smiled at her, and – after getting over her shock – Maria smiled back. And was she…was she blushing too?

Shadow seethed as they walked away, heading for the elevator and chatting about random things like they had known each other forever.

This trip to Twinkle Park was going to be everything but fun. He could tell.

* * *

 **Woo! Silver's back! Maria's here! And what's this? Shipping between the two? Silria? Will it sail? Hmmmm…probably not, if Shadow has anything to say about it XD You guys just gotta wait to find out ;) Things may or may not get interesting next chapter…**


	12. Hasty decisions

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **Just a little reminder that this fic is rated M for a reason…**

 **Chapter 12**

"I can't wait to ride the Ferris wheel!"

"Me neither! I wonder how far we can see out?"

"You haven't ridden it before?"

"I've actually never been to Twinkle Park…"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I didn't live here long enough to go."

"Well then I'll show you around the whole place!"

"Thanks! But back to the Ferris wheel…and rides in general, can we ride them before we eat anything? My stomach isn't the sturdiest."

"Don't worry! Mine isn't either! I'll take you to the _best_ food stands! You'll love the park!"

Shadow had to resist the urge to gag. A metaphorical storm cloud hung low over his head as he traversed the sidewalk, hands deep in his pockets. A permanent frown marred his muzzle, trying and failing to block out those two behind him.

They had been all happy and bubbly toward each other the whole ride over, nonstop. Shadow had only tolerated them because Maria was _here_ and he was joyed about that, but the appearance of Silver was steadily destroying his high. Actually, the appearance of Silver didn't affect his happy mood; it was the fact that he was all over her that made Shadow want to call off everything and go back to the apartment.

The striped hedgehog was going to keep a sharp eye on them when-

"Shadow! Over here!"

Said Robotnik stopped absently glaring at the passing cars and shifted his ruby irises over to the entrance of Twinkle Park. There was a long enough line for it to be annoying, but the anthro who had called him was positioned in the middle of it, waving her arm back and forth. Rouge lowered her hand when he noticed her. Amy, who was standing at her side, had a megawatt smile on her face. Knuckles was paying more attention to the duo behind the striped hedgie.

"Oh Shadow!" Maria stepped up beside him as they headed for the trio, ignoring the irritated stares coming from the people they were passing in line. They'd get over it. The blonde had her arm locked with Silvers, to Shadow's disdain. "That's Rouge, right? The bat?"

"Wow, uh…she's a bit top-heavy isn't she…?"

Maria giggled at Silver's somewhat flustered observation, putting a finger on her lips. "Shh!" She then squeezed his bicep. "Remember that it's not polite to stare, yeah?"

Shadow wanted to pry them apart with a crowbar.

"You're a little late hon." Rouge said when they all had come together in line, a playful smirk growing on her muzzle. "I'm disappointed in you."

"It's not my fault." Shadow grunted and tensed when Amy latched onto his arm. He glared harshly at the snickering echidna before explaining himself. "I was behind a car that refused to go over twenty miles-per-hour."

"Well it's better late than never!" Amy smiled at him. "Though I'm glad that we got a spot in line, otherwise it would've taken _forever_ to get in!" The pinkette then trained her gaze onto the human/hedgehog pair. "And hi! You're Shadow's sister…Maria, and you're his neighbor, Silver, right?"

The blonde nodded enthusiastically. "You have it right! It's nice to meet all of you, especially you, Rouge!" Maria's teeth seemed to sparkle. "Shadow's told me all about you! I was so glad when my baby brother told me about his first friend here!"

Shadow groaned when Knuckles' snickers evolved into chuckles. "Maria…"

"I like her already," the red mammal snorted. The striped rodent began to think that this whole trip was a mistake.

The glint in Rouge's eyes told Shadow that he was going to be teased for weeks to come. Months, even. "It's great to meet you too, sugar. I always wondered what kind of person you had to be to handle Mr. Grumpy all your life."

Maria waved her off. "He's not _that_ bad." When the echidna scoffed, Shadow convinced himself not to throw him into traffic. "Although, he was a handful when he was younger…"

"Aw! I want to learn about baby Shadow! Have any stories to tell?" Amy sweetly suggested, and Shadow knew that his end was near.

"No, she doesn't," he grumbled.

"C'mon, Shadow! I'm curious now!" Silver pipped up, sapphire orbs showing interest.

Before he could repeat himself – more forcefully this time – Rouge thankfully came to his rescue. "I'm sure we can all wait a while for story time so we could pop some popcorn." Shadow's glare was ineffective on her. She glanced over to the white hedgehog. "So Silver huh? First things first, thank you sugar for…helping Shadow a couple months ago by calling in about his accident."

"Yeah!" Rose chirped, "That was really nice of you!"

Silver rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, an embarrassed flush dusting his cheeks. "Um…no problem! I couldn't really ignore him, you know?"

Maria's laugh was genuine as she pinched the white one's muzzle. "You're just too adorable! As thanks, I'll make sure to win _you_ a teddy bear at one of the stands."

"But isn't that my job…?"

"Hey Silver. How come we've never seen you around at school? You look the same age as us." Knuckles rose a brow, changing the subject altogether. Shadow was glad. Silver's and Maria's interactions almost gave him a cavity.

Silver tilted his head. "Well…I don't live here anymore. I thought Shadow would've told you…"

Rouge eyed the striped anthro before questioning, "Why'd you move away? Was Shadow's attitude too much for you?"

"It better not have been!" Maria shook her head in disappointment at her brother. "What have I taught you about pushing people away?"

Shadow was two seconds from turning around and going back to his car.

Silver waved his hand to communicate a negative. "It…It wasn't Shadow! Honest! There were just some…personal issues with my…uh…family." _Smooth Silver,_ Shadow sarcastically thought, _Hopefully they'll believe that._

"Oh…" Amy blinked before grinning. "Well, I'm glad that you're here right now! You too, Maria! It's great to meet my future sister-in-law!"

Shadow choked on his spit while everyone else shared a knowing laugh.

* * *

The striped hedgehog wished that he could burn the wristband he was wearing with his stare alone. Couples were given matching bands with a code on the side the people running the rides and game stands could scan. Along as the pair were together, practically everything was free except for the food. That was cheap anyway, so it didn't really matter.

Shadow was just ticked that if he wanted to milk this trip like he wanted, he would have to stay by Amy's side most of the time. Ruby orbs slid over to Maria and Silver, the latter glancing at all of the flashing lights and rides around them. And – unfortunately – his sister would have to stay by his neighbor as well.

"So what's first on the to-do list?" Rouge asked, raising her voice so that she could be heard over the crowd of people enjoying the park as well.

"What about food?" Knuckles rubbed his stomach. "I've starved myself since leaving school so I could grub hard."

The bat nodded, already scanning for food stands. "You read my mind, Knuckie."

"I'm fine with that!" Rose was too close to the black rodent's side. She had stopped holding onto him, but he could feel her body heat. _Way_ too close.

He took a small step to the side, and inwardly cursed when she copied his movement. "I don't mind eating," he stated.

"Is it okay that Silver and I go check out some of the smaller rides?" Maria's hair was blowing in the gentle autumn breeze. "We don't want to eat just yet. We can join back up with you all when you're done eating?"

Shadow definitely was _not_ going to let them go off by themselves. "I don't think-"

"There's no need to ask for permission, hon." Rouge shrugged, her mischievous gaze flickering over to a fuming Robotnik. "You're the oldest one here. Go have fun! Shadow'll text you."

"Alright! Let's go Silver!" Maria tugged the long-quilled anthro in the opposite direction, and he followed without resistance. Shadow narrowed his eyes at his neighbor when Silver gave him a curt wave over his shoulder. They soon disappeared, the crowd swallowing them up.

Rose clasped her hands together. "Relationship goals! They look _so_ cute together!"

"I think Shadow could argue that," Rouge commented. Shadow was sure that his discontent was palpable.

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "She's in _college_ , Robotnik. Silver's the last thing you should worry about. They are nothing but fluff, but at the university, you don't know just _what_ the hell your sister's do-"

"Unless you want me to punch you right _now_ echidna, I suggest that you shut up."

"Are you threatening me now?"

"Boys boys…" Rouge got in between them, the pair having stepped toward each other. "I thought that you grew out of this!" She huffed. "Now, let's keep the testosterone levels down and enjoy ourselves." Knuckles scrunched his nose, but backed up anyway, crossing his arms. Shadow shoved his hands into his pockets with a scoff.

Rouge smiled. "Good. Now who's up for corndogs?"

* * *

 _ **Shadow:**_ _We're done Maria. Meet us at the tables by the spinning tea cups._

 _ **Shadow:**_ _Maria?_

 _ **Shadow:**_ _Maria!_

 _ **Shadow:**_ _I'm calling you, and you better answer._

* * *

Shadow's phone went to voicemail for the third time. His fingers were subtly shaking as he lowered the device, pressing the hang up button. His pulse was racing as he pictured all of the things that could have gone wrong _._ Her phone died, she lost it, someone stole it, a ride broke down, she had been kidnapped…

"Still no answer?" Amy was sitting beside him at the table, wringing her hands together in worry. A plate once holding corndogs was empty in front of her.

"No," he said crisply. Where in the _hell_ was she?

Rouge drummed her nails on the tabletop before focusing on Knuckles who was standing on it, searching over the many occupants of the park. The odd looks from passersby did not catch his attention. "Do you see either of them?"

"Not yet!"

Shadow pushed himself out of his chair. "We have to search for them."

Rouge and Amy both stood up as well. The bat chewed her bottom lip. "But we have no idea where they are!"

"I don't care!" he shouted, "I will search every _corner_ of this place until-" A loud ring cut the rest of his sentence off. His eyes widened at the caller ID blinking on his phone before answering the call and putting it up to his ear. "Maria! Why haven't you responded? Where in the hell are you?"

There was laughter coming from the other end. _"She tasted so good, Shadow. I couldn't help myself."_

The hedgehog's blood froze in his veins, every single muscle tensing up. His knuckles went white as he gripped his phone. _No…No no no NO!_ A growl deep and guttural ripped through his throat. He disregarded the shock on the other's faces. " _SILVER_! Where is _she_?! Tell me _now!_ "

" _Northeast corner of the park. Jump the fence. Keep moving and you'll see her eventually."_ There was a breathy snigger that made Shadow grind his teeth together. He _knew_ that he shouldn't have let them go alone! Fucking _dammit! "You better hurry up. She's bleeding out fast…"_

Silver hung up.

Shadow stumbled over his own feet as he ran, dropping his phone in his pocket. "Follow me!" he yelled over his shoulder. He didn't bother to check if they were indeed trailing him. They weren't at the top of his priority list right now.

The striped rodent roughly pushed through the packed crowd, not caring that he had knocked a few people down as he did so. Maria…Maria was in _trouble_. That statement just repeated itself in his mind over and over again, making his feet move faster.

His heart pounded erratically as the soles of his shoes hit the concrete underneath him. His breathing was shallow and labored as he pushed himself past his physical limit. He had to save her. He _had_ to…

By the time he reached the northeast corner, it almost hurt for him to breathe. He didn't care about himself though, the only person on his mind was Maria. Maria. Maria. Maria. _Maria._

Shadow paused for a second when a building holding the bathrooms stood in his way. He didn't stay still for long, booking it to the side of the structure, going around to the back of it. He was suddenly away from the bright lights, cloaked in the dark shade.

There was a high wire fence looming over him, curling at the top in such a way that if someone was trying to sneak their way into the park, it would be near impossible. But, for someone attempting to get _out_ , it wasn't nearly as difficult.

Without wasting anymore time, Shadow launched himself at the physical border. He linked his fingers through the thin wires and created footholds for himself. Panting, the striped anthro rapidly climbed the fence, it rattling violently as he did so. His escape was nowhere near quiet.

"Shadow, what – are you insane?! Get down!" When he was halfway up, he heard Rose's worn out voice from below. He glanced down at her to see Knuckles and Rouge at her side, exhausted as well.

"What's _happening_ hon? Tell us!" The bat commanded, sweat dripping down her brow.

"Maria's hurt!" Shadow snapped, quills bristling as he answered. "She could be _dying_ right now!" He didn't wait for any responses before resuming his climb, needing to find his sister and that _damned_ hybrid.

"Dying?!" Knuckles repeated, flabbergasted. "What in the hell did Silver say to you?"

Just hearing his _name_ made a snarl emit from his mouth. "Enough _questions!_ " he was extremely agitated, working his muscles overtime. "We have to find her!" Shadow was at the top of the fence now, gazing out at the grassy hills in front of him. Twinkle Park was situated at the edge of Station Square, so nothing was beyond it but untouched nature.

And a body sprawled out in the distance, unnoticeable to someone who didn't know she was out there.

"Maria!" Shadow yelled, his heart leaping up into his throat. She wasn't moving.

"Oh my gosh…" Somewhat started at the closeness of Rose's voice, he turned his head to see Rouge puffing as she climbed the ledge, her twitching wings unfortunately only letting her glide, not fly. Amy was beside her, fur wet and matted. The pinkette's eyes were misty. "Is she…?"

"No!" Not caring about his own health, Shadow jumped down just as Knuckles got to the top. He crouched down when he met the ground again to reduce injury before gunning it for his sister, lungs burning. _She can't be dead, she can't be!_

As he got closer, he noticed more and more red on her, staining her clothes and skin. _Please no…!_ His wide ruby orbs were damp now, he only a few yards away and seeing the full extent of the injuries she had. Shadow could hardly breathe when he dropped to his knees beside her, being smacked in the nose by the scent of so much blood.

Something within him stirred, but he was too preoccupied to pay attention to it. There was a giant slash in her torso, the front of her shirt torn nearly to shreds. Blood was bubbling up from that wound, streaming down her sides. There was also a sizable chunk of her shoulder missing, like it had been _bitten off_.

Shadow's hands began to shake – because of anger, terror, sadness, or something else, he didn't know – as he reached out to her extremely pale form.

The striped one's gut flipped when his palm rested on her stomach, right above the gushing cut. There was no movement for the longest time, and he could feel a sob working its way up, but then her chest weakly rose and fell. She was breathing. She was _alive!_

"Who…Who did this to her…?"

Shadow glanced up to see Rouge, Amy, and Knuckles looking on in horror. The bat was the one who had spoken, her hands covering up her gaping mouth. Rose seemed a little green in the muzzle, and the echidna's lips and closed like a fish out of water.

The striped anthro's gaze had become steely. "Silver," he lowly hissed.

The red mammal looked at him like he had gone insane. " _Silver_ did this? There's no way-"

"I don't _fucking care_ about what you think!" Shadow shouted, baring his teeth. "We have to call for help so she won't-" A ding went off in his pocket, and the hedgehog fished out his phone, a deep rumble emitting from this chest when he saw who it was from. It said Maria, but Shadow knew better.

 _ **Maria:**_ _Found her yet? I'm sure you have. Well, while you either call an ambulance or mourn her death, I'm heading back to my truck. Being able to fly has it's perks._

 _ **Maria:**_ _Oh, and just so you know. Her muffled screams made it sooo much better._

That was Shadow's breaking point. Something snapped within him.

He knew what was happening even though he was unconscious the first time, but he didn't want to stop it. He was going to tear Silver _limb from limb_ and enjoy seeing the life leave his eyes. He wanted to claw him open and rip out his beating heart, feeling his blood drip down his chin. He was going to _murder_ him.

But…he needed to get away. His friends couldn't see him…like that.

Planning to run off, the shaking striped hedgehog threw his phone to the ground, growling out, "Call 911! Make sure she stays _alive!_ " He took a few quick steps away before his legs gave out on him, sending him harshly to the ground.

"Shadow!"

"Stay away!" he commanded, feeling his muscles contort and bones begin to expand unnaturally. He whipped his head around to peer at Rouge, seeing her stop short at his order, about to come to his side. Amy and Knuckles were staring at him too, the latter on the phone with the authorities. Shadow's teeth were sharpening in his mouth, elongating. "Don't worry about me, worry about Mari- _ahhh!_ "

His vocal cords morphed, changing his voice into a more animalistic one. He could feel the fear radiating off of his friends in waves. Shadow faced back forward, refusing to look at them. There was a scream when he grew, feeling each of his hairs lengthening and each of his fingers cracking as they shortened. His clothes ripped off of his body, quickly falling to the ground.

Shadow stared down at his massive paws as he panted through his long snout, his transformation complete. The wolf didn't bother checking up on his friends before sprinting off into the night, the image of Silver dying a gruesome death increasing his speed.

He _had_ to get back to his apartment, back to Silver's truck in the parking lot before the killer could get away. He pictured right where the vehicle was in the lot, his claws digging in the ground as he propelled himself. He had to catch up. If Silver got away, Shadow was going to-

The lycan's train of thought crashed into a ball of flames when his giant body began to tingle. He didn't get a chance to question it before his surroundings abruptly changed mid-stride. Shadow was in the light again, overhead streetlamps illuminating him. The Robotnik only had a second to recognize that he was somehow now in _front_ of his apartment complex before he crashed into something hard and heavy.

His groan was breathy and gruff as he backed up a couple of steps, shaking his head to get rid of the mild pain there. His forehead had taken the brunt of the impact. Shadow wanted to rub at the spot, but his newly transformed arms kept him from doing that. The wolf growled at himself, reopening his eyes that had closed to glance around.

He immediately stilled. There were people staring at him, frozen with fear. Everyone in the parking lot had their gazes on him. Shadow shuffled in place with his large ears folded against his skull, not knowing what to do. Well, until there was movement in front of him.

Long hair shifted when he faced back forward, taking in the truck that he had ran into after…teleporting (Just how the _hell_?). There was a giant dent in its back door, the metal barely attached to the automobile anymore. The glass had been shattered. The shards scattered along the asphalt by the back wheel.

Shadow's eyes turned into slits when he recognized the truck. It was _Silver's_. He then soon realized what the movement was that gained his attention in the first place. That white hedgehog was in the backseat. His golden irises were so wide that the wolf wouldn't be surprised if they popped right out. In fact, Shadow could make that a reality.

Blocking out the bright lights and the onlookers, the lycan pulled his lips back and snarled, bearing his dangerous canines. Silver started to hyperventilate, slowly reaching for the door handle opposite of Shadow. There was no way in _hell_ that the Robotnik was going to let him free after what he'd done.

The large wolf shifted his weight to his hind legs before lunging, having tunnel vision with Silver at the end of it. He heard surprised shouts all around from the witnesses, but all he paid attention to was the pained shriek that escaped his prey's mouth once he bit down on his leg. The white one was struggling, but that did nothing but pour more blood onto his grateful taste buds.

Shadow then yanked Silver out of the truck through the window. The long-quilled hedgehog's agonized yells were incomprehensible. Inwardly chuckling at the other's torment, Shadow whipped him around like a ragdoll before jumping up and landing on the opposite side of the truck.

Paws padded against the pavement as he ran through the lot, people running for their lives. He needed to go where he wouldn't be interrupted – aka: shot at – so he headed for the back alleyways, weaving through the darkness with only his panting and Silver's crying echoing around the narrow streets.

Shadow could admit, he had impressive speed in this form. He was easily going as fast as a car on the street with more accurate control. It wasn't long before he had reached the city's limits. The moon shined overhead, illuminating the forest in the distance, it sliced in the middle by the road leading into Station Square.

Huffing, the wolf loped over into the foliage and refused to stop until he was well into it.

"S-Shadow! Wh-Why are you-" Silver didn't get to finish his question, for Shadow had jerked his neck and loosened his jaw. The hedgehog went careening into a sturdy tree trunk, crying out upon impact when a bone within him cracked. Silver fell to the grassy ground and held his side while biting his lip.

Shadow stalked over to him and placed a paw on the other's chest, shoving him down so that he was laying on his back. The lycan lowered his maw, licking his lips of the leftover blood. Silver was shaking under him. "Shadow! S-Stop! What are you doing?!"

 _Getting my revenge_ , Shadow swiped his devastating claws across his former neighbor's chest, reveling in the resulting blood-curdling scream. The wolf lapped up the blood spurting out before targeting the other's shoulder, sinking his teeth into the flesh and muscle there. Shadow twisted and yanked, pulling a massive chunk away from bone. He chewed and swallowed with a sneer, focusing on the hedgehog's face.

Tears were streaming down Silver's cheeks as he wheezed, pathetically whining and whimpering. Those unfocused yellow orbs were trained on him. "P-Please…please…sto-" No more sounds came out of his mouth when Shadow promptly broke his neck by chomping down on Silver's chin and harshly jerking.

The life swiftly left his eyes, but his blood was still so warm…

However, before Shadow could continue feasting, he paused at the sound of hard sobs. Black furred ears swiveled as the wolf lifted his head, keen eyes searching everywhere for the person making the noise. They had to be close. The crying was so _loud_ that he swore that the stranger had to be right beside him. But there was no one.

He let out a guttural growl, protectively standing over his kill. The crying didn't stop, instead, it increased in volume. Shadow performed a three-sixty to try to find the one emitting those sounds of sadness, but again, he didn't see anyone.

The Robotnik stood still, muscles tensed and ready to snap into action. However, after a while, the sobs disappeared like they never happened. Shadow narrowed his eyes before scoffing. The wolf backed up and dipped his muzzle back down over the dead hedgehog.

 _ **No!**_ The crying was back with a vengeance, reverberating right in Shadow's ear. _**St-Stop! L-Look away! Don't look…don't look at my body!**_

 _Silver?!_ Ruby irises widened as he stumbled back off of the corpse, his hunger for blood and gore outplayed by the shock spreading through his system. _That…That was Silver's voice! What the hell?!_ Shadow took in the limp form of the white rodent, his neck bent at an unnatural angle with blood spilling out everywhere. _He's dead!_

The weeping bounced around him, and Shadow let out a gasp when he noticed that it was coming from his _mind._

 _ **Please…please…I can't…**_

It was definitely Silver's voice, pleading in his mind to not stare at his bloody body. The lycan clenched his teeth before turning his head, nothing but trees in his line of sight now. Shadow _had_ to be going crazy but…

… _Silver?_

There was a disembodied sniff. _**Y-You killed me…**_ The weak voice then grew louder, ire leaking into his tone. _**You killed me S-Shadow! Why…Why the fuck would you do that!?**_

Shadow snarled in response, tail twitching in anger. _Why in the hell are you in my damn head?! Is this a power of yours or something? Get OUT!_

 _ **I…I don't…know…**_ There was a pregnant pause before Silver continued. _**And where the hell would I go? You KILLED me!**_

 _Obviously not!_ Shadow mentally shouted, beginning to pace back and forth. _You're still talking to me! DIE like you were supposed to!_

 _ **Like I was supposed to?! What did I do, Shadow? I haven't seen you for two months!**_

All of the wolf's joints locked up. What? _Stop lying! You showed up out of the blue, went with us to Twinkle Park, went off with Maria, and attacked her! I saw you, so you can't tell me that you haven't seen me for two months!_

 _ **I…I don't know what you're talking about!**_

 _Sure you don't,_ he mentally snapped.

 _ **I don't…**_ Silver's voice was softer now, almost a whisper. There was a genuineness in it that the wolf didn't expect. _**Believe me…I have no idea who you saw, but it wasn't me. I…I had been minding my own business walking out of a diner in the next city over until someone knocked me out cold. I woke up in my truck. Then I…saw you…**_

Shadow began to pace again, shaking his head. He was going insane, that was the only option. He was not hearing Silver's voice inside of his brain. He wasn't because if he was, and if he was…starting to _believe_ what was said to him, then that meant that he had killed Silver for no…reason…

 _ **You…believe me?**_

The Robotnik was reminded of what happened in that antique store with the double chameleons. No…he refused to believe that he had been mistaken. No. This voice in his head was nothing but a hallucination. It would go away eventually.

 _ **I don't know what's happening either, but I'm real. I…can see everything you can, hear everything you can… Whether you like it or not, it's really me, Silver…**_

Shadow started to breathe heavily, closing his eyes and imagining his old self. The transformation felt faster than the first time. Only a moment passed before the Robotnik was a hedgehog again who was covered with more red that was naturally in his fur. He brought a shaky hand up and wiped his mouth, swallowing thickly.

The rodent then frantically scooted back until he was leaning against a tree. He leaned forward and held his head in his hands. No. No he couldn't have… Bile rose in his throat, and he was barely able to keep it down. First Maria, and now…this…?

 _S-Silver…I'm…_

… _ **yeah. I know.**_

* * *

 **Well, none of that went well, did it? Maria got hurt, some kind of impersonator is on the loose, and Silver's body isn't exactly in the best condition (major understatement there). Oh, and Shadow's friends saw him transform. Yeah, his life just took a turn for the worse.**


	13. Don't judge a book by its many covers

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

 **Chapter 13**

Shadow couldn't do anything but stare absently, thinking about what he had done as the smell of cooling blood entered his nose. His gut churned at the odor, but not because it smelled bad, but because it made his other side crave more. He was disgusted with himself. With what he had become. He had gone so long living a damned normal life after that initial transformation, and now…

Now he had killed an innocent person. He had _eaten_ him. He…

Shadow lifted his bloodly hands off of the grassy ground, fingers trembling as he focused on the red stains. When another thought hit him, he clenched them into tight fists, his lost stare morphing into a sharp glare.

Maria's attacker was still out there, running around free. And there was only one person it could be. Shadow visualized the other's blue fur, fangs, and wild emerald eyes. It made sense. Sonic was the _only_ person who would be…cruel enough to attack his sister. That bastard _had_ to have been lying about his transforming abilities. Shadow had only seen that murderer in two forms, but that didn't mean that he couldn't have had more. He was going to find that fucker and-

 _ **And do what, Shadow?**_ The Robotnik jumped a bit at the harsh voice bouncing around in his head. Silver – he was still iffy about if that was _really_ him – had been quiet for a while. _**Snap his neck like you did mine? Because of a stupid assumption?**_

Shadow blinked, some of his ire being replaced with confusion and guilt. _A stupid assumption? He's the only other piece of shit who could have done it besides you! Why in the hell are you standing up for him?_

 _ **I hate him as much as you do. I'm just saying that you're jumping to conclusions**_ _ **again**_ _ **. We don't know for sure if it was Sonic.**_

The striped hedgehog frowned. _What-_

 _ **Before I met you and him, I thought I was…the only one.**_ Shadow paused, letting that sink in. He calmed himself down, giving his mind time to clear up. He could understand where Silver was coming from. Before running over that blue rodent, he didn't know that werewolves existed at _all._ So who was to say that there weren't more of them…?

Shadow explosively sighed, softly knocking the back of his head against the truck of a tree he was leaning against. Jaded ruby irises slowly refocused back on the broken body on the forest floor. "What am I supposed to do?" he asked, voice heavy with emotion.

Silver didn't answer him.

So he sat for a few more minutes, cursing himself and how fucked up his life turned out to be. He was a damned werewolf, he had murdered a boy in cold blood, he had _no_ idea what condition Maria was in…

Swallowing thickly, Shadow pushed himself up onto his feet, turning away from the white hedgehog's corpse. _Sorry, Silver_. Again, he didn't receive any response, but he could feel him there. A presence inside of his mind that was never there before. He didn't know why Silver was still…around, and said hedgehog apparently didn't have any answers either.

There so many damned questions, and he was left in the dark.

 _I'm going to go visit Maria. She…should've been taken to the hospital already…_ Shadow semi-awkwardly thought to the other, not expecting a response. He was right to, because he didn't get one. Having Silver with him all the time would be uncomfortable, especially since he'd… The Robotnik shook his head, exhaling. It was in the past. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't fix it. He couldn't do anything now but check on his sister.

Shadow glanced down at himself and frowned. He would go visit after cleaning up and getting some clothes.

Another problem reared its ugly head. How in the hell was he going to get back to his apartment complex? He couldn't exactly stroll through the city covered in blood, and – most importantly – naked. He wracked his brain for any solutions. The only thing he could come up with was to act like a very drunk painter and hope that no one would ask any questions.

He resisted rolling his eyes at the fleeting snort he received. "I'm glad that you find that amusing," he muttered under his breath before a lightbulb mentally went off. When he was in his…other form, he had somehow made it from Twinkle Park to his apartment's parking lot in less than a second. Had he…teleported? But that wasn't possible. But then again, he had formerly thought that super speed, telekinesis, and transformations were impossibilities as well.

Shadow hadn't questioned it when it first happened because he was filled with misaimed rage. Now that he thought back on it, he remembered feeling tingly before he was suddenly where he wanted to be. It had to be teleportation. Was this a power like Silver's and Sonic's? It had to be, right?

Just another thing stripping away his normality.

 _ **At least you're still alive.**_

Shadow gritted his teeth when another unwanted wave of guilt crashed into him. _You're not dead. You have a voice, and you can think somehow. I don't know if you're alive, but you're definitely not dead, Silver._

 _ **Ghosts can talk and think. They're not alive.**_

 _Ghosts aren't rea…_ The striped hedgehog's thought trailed off as he realized that ghosts could very much be real. He had no way of knowing. _You have to at least agree with me about you not being dead._

There was nothing, and Shadow knew that there was no use in arguing. He needed to get home, and the only way was to teleport. How did he do it before? He was in his wolf form, and he had wanted desperately to get to Silver's truck. Shadow _really_ did not want to transform at the moment, so he hoped that he could possibly get the job done while looking normal.

The Robotnik imagined his apartment, his bathroom to be specific. He needed to get clean as soon as possible. Shadow took a deep breath and willed himself to go there, wishing that this was all he needed to do.

He didn't feel anything at first, but then a familiar tingling sensation emitted from his core, slowly spreading outwards towards his limbs. It warmed his body up from the inside out. If Shadow had to describe it, he would say that chaotic energy akin to lightning filled him up, wiring his veins.

Then, as suddenly as it was there, it was gone.

Shadow was currently standing in his bathroom.

The striped hedgehog's bare feet slapped against the tiled floor as he searched for the light switch, unable to see much in the dark room. "I did it…" Shadow squinted his eyes when he flipped the lights on. This was definitely his bathroom. He had warped here. He had manipulated space… _again._

 _ **Congrats.**_

Silver's quiet yet sarcastic voice brought him back to reality. _You didn't feel the same way when-?_

 _ **No…I didn't.**_

Shadow waited for any backstory that should've accompanied that statement, but it didn't come. He was going to have to learn to stop waiting. He'd be surprised if Silver ever forgave him.

The black anthro sighed before going over to start the shower, passing a large mirror as he went. He caught a glimpse of what he looked like, and his muscles locked up. There were blood splatters on his fur, but it was the most concentrated around his mouth. Bloodied chunks were stuck to the corners of his lips, and his chin was nothing but red. Stomach doing flips, Shadow opened his now quivering jaw to see his teeth painted carmine, something he'd only seen in horror movies or in nature documentaries.

Shadow immediately gagged, and he made a beeline for the toilet, stumbling over his own feet. When he collapsed to his knees, the hedgehog instantly vomited up what he never should've ingested in the first place. Somewhat digested meat and blood splashed into the water below.

His throat was burning when he finished, shakily propped up over the toilet and panting. Shadow wiped his lips, swallowing any leftover bile. The anthro then held his head in his dirty hands. He had fucked up. Fucked up bad.

And the hushed sobs echoing around in his mind were clear evidence of that.

* * *

"Is there a Maria Robotnik here?"

Shadow was slightly out of breath when he asked the receptionist this, having traversed to the hospital on foot. He didn't have his car keys – or his car in general – and he didn't have his wallet to pay a taxi or the bus fare. So unfortunately, he had to walk. He didn't want to risk teleporting into a public area. Silver had been silent the entire way, not that Shadow had attempted to start any conversation.

His anxiety levels lowered when she calmly answered with a, "Yes." _She's alive._ However, those levels then skyrocketed when she continued. "However, she's in surgery and you can't see her right now."

Shadow swallowed a lump in his throat. He _desperately_ neededto see her. "Are you sure? I'm her brother and…" He paused when the receptionist raised a dubious eyebrow at him. "Adoptive brother," he explained, "I have to see-"

"We can't let you in that room, sir. I'm sorry. Her room is on in the left wing, and there is also a waiting area there for friends and family. The main surgeon working on her will come get you when they're done."

Shadow clenched his jaw, but otherwise relented. He couldn't just burst into there and potentially endanger Maria's life more than it already had been. He nodded at the receptionist. "Alright. Thank you." She nodded in return before focusing on her desk computer.

Controlling his nerves, the striped rodent stepped away from the sitting woman and began to head in whatever direction the waiting room was. But then the receptionist called to him. "Wait a moment, Mr. Robotnik!" Shadow blinked before halting his stride, peering over his shoulder. She was gazing at the computer monitor. "It says here that she just transferred rooms to recover. Visitors are allowed. She's in room 84."

He didn't bother to thank her again. Shadow speed-walked to the left wing of the hospital, searching for any signs that would lead him to the room he was looking for.

 _Rooms 1-25…Rooms 26-50…Rooms 51-75…Rooms 76-100… This is the hallway!_ Shadow turned the corner, planning to stroll right down that hall to locate where Maria was being kept, but instead, he stopped right in his tracks.

Standing quite a distance away in front of a closed door were his friends. Rouge, Knuckles, and Amy were talking quietly to themselves by what Shadow could assume was Maria's room. Shadow's muscles suddenly tensed, cursing himself. Why hadn't he thought about this before? Of course they would be here. They were the ones who saved her life, while he had left and…

… _ **how bad was she hurt?**_ Shadow's lips twitched downwards at the ends as he brought up the image of a bloodied Maria, wondering if Silver could actually see it. The former psychic apparently could; he gasped. _**She looks so innocent! She didn't deserve that…**_

 _No, she didn't…_ Shadow hadn't taken his eyes off of the other Mobians, wondering what he was going to do. They were going to be terrified if they saw him, but Shadow was here for Maria. He wasn't going to leave without seeing her.

Steeling himself, Shadow exhaled heavily before walking down the hall, footsteps light and soft. He had no idea what was coming up next. Would they attack him (Knuckles especially) or would they run away? He didn't want them to do either, but he wasn't exactly the one who found out that his friend was a werewolf.

Shadow cleared his mind with a subtle headshake as he closed the distance between him and the small group. They hadn't noticed him ye – Nevermind.

Amy was the first to spot him, her jade eyes wide. The Robotnik slowed down his stride when she froze, and he completely stopped when Rouge and Knuckles looked back at him too, them both wary and cautious.

 _ **They aren't running away or attacking you. Go.**_

 _Yet,_ Shadow thought back, but propelled himself forward anyway. They just watched silently as he approached, obviously tense. Knuckles had positioned himself in front of the females, a scowl marring his muzzle and sharp amethysts watching his every move.

"Hey," he greeted once he was a respectable distance away from them. His voice was breathy as he crossed his arms over his shirt uncomfortably. Unsure ruby irises shifted from the still silent group to the closed door hiding his sister. "Is she-"

"She's fine," Knuckles cut him off crisply, "A doctor's in there getter her settled. But that's _not_ what we need to talk about right now." The echidna's voice was low and filled with anger, but Shadow could detect the hint of fear within. Just dammit.

"Shadow…" The striped hedgehog nearly flinched as how uncertain and cautious Rouge sounded. He was hesitant in meeting her teal orbs. The bat slightly stepped out from behind the echidna. "Here." She then held out his phone, wallet, and keys. Shadow blinked in slight surprise before gingerly taking the items.

"Thanks," he muttered, tucking them into his pants pockets.

Rouge was still staring at him, many emotions swirling around in her gaze. "Shadow, _please_ tell me that what we saw before…wasn't real? That it was because of something in those corn dogs we ate?"

Shadow sorely wished that was the case.

 _ **Let them believe that,**_ Silver whispered, _**It's better than the alternative and losing them forever. Lie, for them…**_

 _I…can't,_ Shadow responded. From the looks they were giving him, they already knew what the true answer was. And even if they didn't, he was transparent to Rouge. She'd catch his lie in a heartbeat, and there went all trust. He just couldn't.

There was a faint sigh. _**Good luck then…**_

"It…wasn't the corndogs," he eventually forced out, avoiding eye contact as he did so. "What you saw was…"

There were multiple gasps, and they all took a half-step away from him. Shadow had a sinking feeling in his stomach. "What _are_ you, Shadow?" Amy's lips were trembling when she asked, gripping Rouge's arm.

"A damned monster is what he is," Knuckles growled, "I _knew_ there was a reason why I didn't like you at the start! You were hiding something from all of us! You can _turn_ into a fucking…" Shadow grunted when the echidna strode forward and jabbed a finger into his chest. "It was you, wasn't it? All along? _Killing_ those people?"

"I haven't killed anyone, echidna." Shadow meant for that to come out stronger than it did. Silver didn't comment on his questionable statement. The Robotnik focused over on Rouge, hoping that she believed him. She had seen Sonic before. _He_ was the murderer, not him. "That wasn't me."

"Of course _you_ would say that," Knuckles snapped.

"I…believe him."

The echidna whirled around on the bat. "Rouge?! What-"

"I do too!" Amy pipped up, still looking wary however. "He…wasn't the one who attacked Maria, and…Shadow's always been nice. He's not a bad guy."

Knuckles gritted his teeth. "Did you two not see him turning into a giant damned _wolf?_ "

"We did." Rouge rubbed her arm. "It should've been impossible, but we did." The bat locked eyes with Shadow again and was about to say something else, but the door to the room creaked open.

A brown-haired human surgeon exited, immediately focusing on them. "Maria Robotnik is doing fine. Stitching her up and giving her a blood transfusion went smoothly. She is still under anesthesia at the moment and won't awaken for some time. You're welcome to enter, however."

"We're glad that she's okay," the red anthro replied stiffly. He then gestured to Amy and Rouge. "We couldn't stay for long. And we should let her and her _brother_ have some alone time." Knuckles turned on his heel and began marching away. The doctor looked confused.

"Yeah um…" Amy twirled one of her bubblegum quills. "We're…on a bit of a time crunch." She then nodded over to the striped hedgehog, swallowing audibly. "See you later…Shadow."

She quickly went to follow Knuckles. Rouge and Shadow watched them go before the former muttered to him, "My house tomorrow at three. Don't be late hon."

"…I won't." Shadow knew that they were going to talk there in private. About…everything. Maybe their friendship wouldn't change because of this. Just maybe…

 _ **It could've definitely gone worse,**_ Silver said as Rouge left as well. _**They're good friends. Well, at least the girls are.**_

To be honest, Shadow didn't think it would end this way. He honestly thought that this would be his last time speaking to them.

"Anyway…" Shadow glanced over to the man who was holding the door open for him. "I'm sure she'd love to see family when she wakes up."

The Robotnik nodded at him. "Of course… Thank you for saving her life." The surgeon just smiled amiably as Shadow entered Maria's room.

He barely noticed the sound of the door shutting behind him. All he could focus on was his sister laying in a hospital bed, bandaged up with wires connected to her. He was happy that she was okay, but she should've never been put in this situation in the first place.

Shadow jogged over to her bedside and grabbed her limp hand, squeezing it as he took in her resting face. He swore to himself that if he ever found out who did this to her, he'd make them regret ever messing with his family and friends.

… _ **Friends?**_

 _That includes you, Silver. I'll tear that shit-stain limb from limb for targeting Maria and making me-_

Shadow's train of thought derailed when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he called after a moment, wondering who could it be. He watched as it opened, and his hairs instantly stood up on the back of his neck. The newcomer was Maria. Shadow's brain short-circuited. He could do nothing but stare as Maria closed the door, trying to comprehend.

 _ **Shadow! That's…That's…!**_

Then it all came together.

Rage coursing through his veins, Shadow snarled as he launched himself at the unwelcome guest. The fake-Maria gasped when he shoved her against the door and when his arm crushed her throat. She struggled, attempting to force him off of her, but Shadow wasn't having it.

Glowering, he let energy flood his system. The pair were now in Shadow's apartment, away from anyone how could interrupt their 'conversation'. The fake-Maria seemed floored about what just happened, so the striped hedgehog took this time to rear back and punch the blonde as hard as he could in the face.

She screamed as she stumbled backwards, holding her gushing nose. Shadow rushed forward and grabbed her throat. She wheezed as she clawed ineffectively at his hand. "Is th-this…how you t-treat…family…Sh-Shadow?"

"You're not my _sister_." His voice was filled with venom, ruby orbs aflame. "Why in the _hell_ were you in her room? To finish her off? You're so _damned stupid_ if you thought I would let that happen!"

"I-I wasn't th-there to hurt her!" She coughed harshly. "I w-was th-there for you! B-Because we-we're the same!"

"What are you – We are _not_ the same!" Shadow snarled tensing his fingers more and reveling in the resulting wheezes. "Don't _ever-"_

"W-We both hate b-being what w-we are!"

The Robotnik paused at that, but he didn't ease his grip. "What in the _hell_ are you talking about?"

The fake-Maria stared at him before her skin began to gain a purple tint. Shadow almost let the other go in surprise. He watched as the blonde morphed into a familiar purple chameleon right in front of his eyes. Sapphire orbs bored into his. The Robotnik inwardly gasped. _The blue-eyed Espio! I met Maria's attacker back then…?_

… _ **You've met him…her…it before?!**_

… _It's a long story._

"I-In this form, I l-learned that you w-wanted to kill th-them…" The other's tone was deeper now, sounding exactly like that reptile. Shadow was speechless when the attacker changed again into a red armadillo. That dead police officer. "In th-this form, I learned that y-you were one of u-us." The Robotnik was then staring into Silver's face, and muted growls went off in his head. "I attacked her i-in this form t-to see how you'd re-react. You f-feel guilty ki-killing the actual Silver. Y-You h-hate being what you a-are."

"How do you know that I…killed him?!" Shadow harshly whispered. There was _no_ way this _thing_ could've known! He shook the other a bit. "Tell me!"

The stranger didn't respond verbally. The fake-Silver gave him a pained smirk before Shadow's hand was suddenly empty. Well, for a second, he thought it was. There was a little bug on his pointer finger, a tick to be exact.

Shadow couldn't believe this. "You can…turn into actual _insects?_ "

The bug hopped off his finger and plummeted to the ground. Once it landed, the striped hedgehog was one second away from stomping the bastard, but then it began growing again. Into Rouge. The newly formed bat rubbed her neck as she sat on the floor, wincing.

Shadow gritted his teeth when she fluttered her wings, helping herself get back to her feet. She wiped her still dripping nose and winked at him. "I can change into any living thing actually." Then her stance relaxed, her wrongly colored eyes never straying from Shadow's. "I'm here to help."

"I don't believe you." He narrowed his ruby irises, clenching his fists. He didn't want to transform again, but dammit, he would if he needed to.

The fake-Rouge sighed, scratching her cheek. "I had to attack her to find out… Would you trust me if I showed you what I really looked like?"

 _ **Hell no!**_ Silver screamed, almost making him flinch at the sharp noise. _**Shadow! Kill that thing! It imitated me, got me killed, and hurt Maria! Why aren't you killing it!?**_

 _Shut up Silver,_ Shadow ordered. He did want to kill the other so it could have a horrible and painful death for everything that it did. But…the tamer side of him – the more curious side – wanted to know what the other actually looked like before he took its life.

The bat cocked her head at him. "No answer? I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt…" She sighed before her wings began to disappear. Shadow observed with keen eyes as the other transformed, sucking in a surprised breath when it finished.

He was now looking at a young boy. A horribly disfigured young boy.

The first thing Shadow zeroed in on was the four large diagonal scars on the child's torso, fur not growing there. Those gashes had been agonizingly deep at one point, Shadow was sure. There were nastily cuts going up and down his arms as well. There was a marking on one of his legs that seemed like a stitched bite mark.

Shadow then focused on the kid's head, it being in no better condition. A huge chunk of his right ear was missing, and there were scars on his left cheek like he'd been harshly raked on that side of his face.

All in all, this child had been through hell and back.

But the wounds weren't the only thing that held Shadow's attention. Foxes were only supposed to have one tail, right?

"So…here I am." The yellow anthro gestured to himself. "In all my glory…" He let out a small chuckle. "I don't…really show myself that much, and I think you can see why."

Shadow didn't respond to that comment, pondering if this was _really_ the shapeshifter's original body. He hadn't seen the child before, and why would the kid show him _this_ body of all of the ones he could possibly morph into?

So he had been…trying to kill a little boy?

 _ **Remember me and Maria, Shadow! He was the one! Get him!**_

Before Silver's words could fully register in Shadow's brain, the kid sighed and held up a hand in greeting. "I guess we should start this again? I'm Miles Prower, and I found you at the hospital so we can search for the cure."

Shadow furrowed his brow. "The cure for what?"

Miles crookedly smiled. "Our curse."

* * *

 **Ooooooooooo… What is Shadow gonna do? Trust this little fox, or will the vulpine's drastic actions keep him from doing so? Decisions decisions…**


	14. Freaky Friday

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Sonic the hedgehog characters.**

" _I guess we should start this again? I'm Miles Prower, and I found you at the hospital so we can search for the cure."_

 _Shadow furrowed his brow. "The cure for what?"_

 _Miles crookedly smiled. "Our curse."_

 **Chapter 14**

 _ **A…A cure? Shadow, did I hear that right?**_

 _I should be asking you the same thing, Silver…_

Shadow had no words as he gazed at the half clothed fox smiling at him, his only article of clothing being old shorts not commonly worn this late in the year. Miles' expression – while scarred – was genuine. So was…there really a cure for Shadow's condition? Could he go back to having a normal life?

 _ **I…I don't know Shadow. I've never heard of a cure before. And plus,**_ _ **this**_ _ **was the person who hurt Maria! Don't forget that. We don't know if he's telling the truth.**_

The Robotnik's jaw clenched, that harsh reminder smacking him in the face. It didn't matter if Miles was a child, if he was disfigured, or if he had some miracle cure. The vulpine attacked his sister and caused Shadow to _kill Silver_. He didn't care if the fox was testing him. What happened couldn't be undone. Miles…couldn't be trusted.

Something about his body language had caught the kit's attention, for his grin waned and his brow creased. Yellow shoulders slumped marginally. "You don't believe me." Sapphire orbs slid over to the nearest wall as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I should've seen that coming…"

"You should've." Shadow stiffly jabbed his pointer finger over to his front door. A scowl was set on his muzzle. If the fox stayed around, who knew how else Miles would hurt him, his family, or his friends. "Go…find the _cure_ by yourself. I don't want anything to do with it or _you_. Leave."

Miles bit his lip as he fidgeted with one of his tails, innocence radiating off him. Shadow knew better than to be fooled. However, it didn't stop him from wishing that the fox was a handful of years older. It would be easier to stay furious at him. The Robotnik had lost the urge to attack; he just wanted the kit permanently out of his life.

The yellow child took in a deep breath as he let go of his furred appendage. "If it was possible to do it by myself, I would've done it already." Miles met Shadow's uncertain gaze again. "That's why I'm here! You're…" The fox stepped forward, and the striped anthro resisted the urge to step back. Silver's muted growls echoed around in his mind. "You're my last hope."

"And you're dancing on my last nerve." Shadow glowered, dropping his arm in order to use it to push the kid toward his front door. In the current form Miles was in, he couldn't put up much of a fight. "I don't want to _ever_ see you again. Do you understand me?" He wasn't going to let the fox sway his judgement.

"No!" Miles swiftly whirled around and grasped a surprised Shadow's arms. The grip wasn't painful, just unexpected. The vulpine was practically begging now. " _You_ need to understand! I know…I _know_ that I should've done things differently, but please hear me out! I can't go to Silver, and Sonic didn't let me get a single word in, so-"

Shadow had to interrupt him there. "You know Sonic?" He couldn't keep the skepticism out of his voice. The kit knew of the beast _and_ his name?

 _ **They know each other? Then he definitely can't be trusted.**_

The Robotnik wholeheartedly agreed…until Miles' eyes clouded over.

"Yeah…" The kid's tone was heavy with emotion when he released Shadow's arms, gesturing to his unsightly self. "He's the one who did this to me when I approached him."

For the second time, Shadow was speechless, and apparently, Silver was too. The striped rodent knew that Sonic was ruthless, but to attack a child…? Shadow assumed that the kit had been in this form to appear genuine like now, and just… Miles had it ten times worse than he did.

The vulpine ran a hand up and down his arm self-consciously. "But um…anyway." Miles subtly gestured to Shadow's midsection. "In simple terms, you have energy inside of you that you've tapped into. Using that energy, we can go find the cure!"

 _Energy…? What in the hell is he talking about?_ Shadow glanced down at his torso like the answer would suddenly appear. It didn't, but the striped hedgehog didn't need it to since his mind eventually paired the word 'energy' with the word 'transformation'. But that didn't make any sense.

"Are you talking about me turning into a damned _monster?_ " Shadow narrowed his sharp ruby orbs. "You _obviously_ can do that too. You don't need me, so get out of here before I-"

"I'm not talking about that!" Miles shook his hands in a negative. "I'm talking about you teleporting! I've always noticed that you were almost like a beacon, having so much energy. Then you just…manipulated space! Do you know how amazing that is?"

Shadow was thrown aback about how excited the kit became. "I-"

"You did that by tapping into your bountiful energy supply!" Miles gushed before calming himself down some, wringing his fingers together. "I think that by depending on that energy, we can definitely track down the cure."

Shadow didn't know what to make of that new information. He had some kind of energy inside of himself? And using that…they could eventually get rid of their curses?

 _ **Dammit Shadow! Don't tell me that you're buying what he's saying!**_

The striped hedgehog didn't respond to Silver. Instead, he voiced aloud, "And what _exactly_ is this cure you keep talking about?"

The fox's blue irises lit up and he grinned. "Have you ever heard of the Master Emerald before?"

Before Shadow could say no (and before he thought about hopping back onto Silver's doubt train), the Robotnik's phone rang in his pocket. The black anthro blinked as he dug into his pants, pulling out the device, and seeing who was calling. It was his grandfather.

Disregarding Miles' curious stare, Shadow turned slightly to the side and lifted his phone to his ear. "Grandfather?"

" _Shadow!"_ The old man was hysterical. _"I just got the call! I'm on my way now to Station Square! Are you with Maria now? Is she alright?!"_

The mental image of Maria asleep in her hospital bed caused Shadow to sigh. "She's fine. She's resting right now. The doctor said that she'll wake up soon."

" _Good…good. They said that it was a wild animal attack. How bad was she hurt?"_

The striped hedgehog gave Miles a sidelong stare; the fox had a sudden fascination with the floor. "There were a few gashes. They had to give her blood and stitches. She's in stable condition now, Grandfather."

" _That's great news! Oh my poor Maria…take care of her until I get there. I should get to the hospital before the night is over."_

Shadow nodded even though Gerald couldn't see the movement. "Alright. See you then."

" _Right_."

The rodent lowered the phone and hung up, lips pressed in a thin line. "I know that you want to get back to her…" Shadow faced Miles again when the latter meekly spoke, the vulpine's tails slowly swishing back and forth. "We can continue this conversation later, if you want?"

There was hope in the kit's words, and that made the Robotnik hesitate. He _knew_ that he shouldn't go along with whatever plan this kid had. Maria was bedridden and Silver's body was rotting away because of _him,_ but-

 _ **But nothing Shadow! We can't trust him!**_

 _Silver-_

 _ **Don't 'Silver' me! Have you forgotten**_ _ **everything**_ _ **that had happened in the past couple of hours?**_

Shadow winced, rubbing his right temple. He felt a headache coming on. _Silver, stop yelling!_ he thought, paying no attention to Miles' now concerned gaze.

 _ **I'll stop yelling when I get you to see reason! I'm**_ _ **dead**_ _ **because of you! The least you could do is take my stupid advice!**_

The striped hedgie groaned a bit, squeezing one of his eyes closed in severe discomfort. His head was throbbing, and the room was starting to get fuzzy. "Calm down!" he barked, and when Miles seemed taken aback, he added, "Not you."

 _ **Calm down?! I'll calm down when that fox is gone! I'll calm down when you forget every word he said to you! I'll calm down when I have my own**_ _ **body**_ _ **again!**_

 _Silver…stop,_ he inwardly hissed.

 _ **Or what Shadow? What are you going to do? I'm**_ _ **stuck**_ _ **here! You can't do anyth-**_

Shadow's vision went black, and he vaguely heard Miles shouting his name before crashing into the floor below.

* * *

"-adow! Shadow!"

A pained moan escaped parted lips as he slowly regained consciousness, feeling someone urgently shaking his side.

"Shadow! Wake up! Are you alright?"

The striped hedgehog propped himself up on his elbow as he brought a hand up to his head, his mind muddled.

"Shadow?"

He blinked his eyes open to focus on the kneeling fox to his right, worried sapphires staring at him. The black rodent frowned before swatting away Miles' hands, sitting all the way up. "Don't…touch me…"

The fox pulled his fingers back reflexively. "Sorry! I was just-" He then loudly gasped. "Shadow! Your eyes!"

"What's wrong with my eyes?' the hedgehog crisply retorted, his frown deepening, "And why do keep calling…me…" Now that he was fully awake, he finally noticed that _many_ things were wrong. First off, his voice. The striped anthro threw his hands up to his throat, pulse racing. "Why – Why do I sound like-!"

Second, his body. He was flabbergasted that he _had_ one again, but…it was the wrong one. His chest hair wasn't long enough, and – after feeling the back of his head – his quills weren't long enough either. Breath hitching, he scrambled off the ground, almost tripping over Miles in order to find the bathroom that was somewhere around there.

He slammed open a door that he had a good guess was hiding a mirror he was searching for, and he flipped on the lights to realize that he had picked right. He looked into the reflective surface hanging over the sink, nearly fainting at the sight of Shadow's stunned face.

And at the sight of golden irises that had replaced the striped hedgehog's usual rubies.

"H-Holy _crap!_ " Trembling fingers felt along his muzzle, his quill-less forehead, and his unfamiliar ears. "I-I'm in and _controlling_ Shadow's body! How – What – _Why?!_ "

No one answered him, and that's when he realized that a third thing was very wrong here. His mind was silent.

Silver froze, dreading the worst. He had somehow gained control, so…so what happened to the striped hedgie? "Sh-Shadow?" he verbally questioned before frantically continuing it inwardly, _Are you there? Tell me you're there!_ He waited, but there was nothing. Silver chewed the inside of his (Shadow's?) cheek. "Shoot shoot shoot shoot! I didn't mean for this to happen!" _I'm sorry Shadow! Man, I'm so sorry!_

Silence.

Silver placed his elbows on the sink and held his head in his hands, his mind in a frenzied whirlwind. What was he going to do? Did he just…kill Shadow? Granted, Shadow did kill _him_ , but he hadn't been really dead! Technically.

"Oh shit what did I do…?" he whimpered to himself.

Silver jumped when there was an unexpected knock coming from his right. He slowly peered over to be greeted with a concerned Miles lowering his fist from the doorframe. "Is…everything okay in here?"

The dark hedgehog immediately scowled, his golden orbs hardening. "You!" Silver pushed away from the sink and stomped over to the fox, jabbing a finger in the kid's chest. "This is all your fault, isn't it? You have something to do with this!"

Miles held his hands up innocently, leaning away from the angry aura Silver knew he was projecting. "What are you talking about, Shadow?"

"I'm not Shadow!" the black rodent shouted, clenching his fists, "I'm _Silver!_ "

The kit seemed beyond confused. "You're Silver? But that's not pos-" Then his expression showed full comprehension, and the striped anthro narrowed his eyes. "I…I know what happened!"

Silver wasn't sure about if he should believe the other or not, but at this point, he didn't care. "Do you know how to fix this?" He was glad that he was 'alive' again, but not with this side effect.

"I don't, but-"

"Then you're no help!" Silver growled, "Every time you're around, things just go to hell! You know what? It's time for you to leave."

"Wait, Silver! I-"

"If you won't leave, I'll make you!" Silver stared at his disconcerting dark furred hand for a moment before facing his palm out toward the kit. He was awed for a second when Miles began to float in the air – he still had his powers! That was like the only good thing that came out of this – before he wore a more serious mask. "And you can't do anything about it."

Silver strolled out of the bathroom with a purpose, dragging a futilely struggling fox behind him. "S-Silver! Just hear me out! I'm sorry about what happened to your body-"

"Shut it!" The striped hedgehog snapped as he reentered the living room, stomping over to the exit. With a swipe of his unoccupied arm, the front door swung open. "Just…stay away from me! _Us!_ " Silver tossed Miles through the empty doorway, the vulpine barely managing to land on his feet. He didn't waste any time in using his powers to shut and lock the door behind the kit.

There was harsh knocking. "Silver! Silver, come on!" Said hedgehog frowned, for Miles' voice had changed drastically. The voice sounded _really_ familiar, but he couldn't put a name to it. The striped rodent quietly shuffled over to the peep-hole and peered through it, surprised to see a clothed Sonic with his arms crossed. "Let me back in, please?"

 _As if, you little-_

 _ **Ugh…**_

Silver's mind instantly switched gears when a deep groan reverberated around in his head, relief spreading throughout his system. _Shadow!_

 _ **What…What happened? Where am I?**_

 _You're um…well…_ Silver swallowed thickly. _You're inside your own head?_

… _ **What?**_

Silver sighed and decided to rip the metaphorical band-aid off. _We switched places Shadow. You're in the backseat now and I'm…I'm the one driving._

It took a short while, but Shadow seemed to eventually catch on. Silver flinched when he heard a rage-filled snarl. _**What the**_ _ **fuck**_ _ **Silver? This isn't right!**_ _ **Fix**_ _ **this! I won't be stuck back here while you do whatever you want with my body!**_

Black ears lowered in guilt. _That sounds kinda wrong, in a way…_

 _ **SILVER!**_

 _I know! I know! But I don't have any clue on how-_

"I know that you can hear me in there, Silver!" Miles interrupted his thoughts, another round of knocking vibrating the front door.

 _ **The hell? Is that Sonic?**_

 _No. It's Miles. I kicked him out, and he transformed into the blue guy._

There was a heavy exhale on the other side of the threshold. "Have it your way, I guess. I hope that you can hear this, Shadow. If you want to talk later…and if you can get control back…meet me outside of the casino tomorrow any time." There was no movement at first, but then Silver heard footsteps walking away until they disappeared completely.

"Finally." Silver backed away from the exit. "It was about time that he left…"

 _ **Silver**_ _,_ Shadow hissed, _**I don't like you using my voice, my legs, my anything! Do something!**_

Silver went to stressfully run his fingers through the shortened quills above his eyes, but when he recalled that he didn't have those anymore, he aimed for his newly acquired curved headquills. "I would if I could Shadow! I'm freaking out like you are! Do you think that I _like_ being in your body? Like…what happens when I need to use the bathroom?! I don't want to see that!"

 _ **Do what you did before dammit!**_

The striped hedgehog paced around the room. "I don't know what I did! I just got mad and bam! You passed out, and I'm controlling you!" Silver said out loud, refraining from thinking at Shadow. Things seemed less weird this way. "Maybe I can't do anything? You get mad…or something."

 _ **I can't just…**_

"Aren't you angry right now? Build on that!"

Shadow just growled at him. _**Who gave you the shitty idea of throwing Miles out? From the way he talked, he knew**_ _ **something**_ _ **about this!**_

"Because I don't like him!" Silver rose his voice and hoped that no one noticed him basically talking to himself. "In a way, this is all his fault!"

 _ **It doesn't MATTER if you like him or not! I want my body back, and he's our only possible solution!**_

"What? So you're just _forgiving_ him for-"

 _ **I'm not forgiving anyone Silver! He could possibly fix this!**_

"And you're just going to believe everything he says?!"

 _ **It's better than fucking standing here and not getting anywhere dammit!**_

Silver halted his stride and tapped his foot on the ground, weighing their options…or their lack of them. Silver _hated_ resulting to this. "Fine! But we won't be able to find him until tomorrow."

 _ **Go chase after him! He couldn't have gotten-**_

"Yeah. Tomorrow definitely." Silver cut him off, knowing good and well that there wouldn't be any repercussions for doing so. "And plus…don't you want to get back to Maria? She might be awake by now…"

 _ **...Damn.**_ Shadow was quieter now. _**We do. I…**_ Silver frowned when the other trailed off, feeling bad for both him and his sister. _**How is this going to work out?**_

The striped hedgehog meekly shrugged his shoulders. "You can say what you want, and I can relay it to her?"

 _ **This is going to be a train wreck.**_

"Maybe she won't? She'll be loopy on the anesthesia, right? It'll be fine!"

 _ **You shouldn't have thrown the kid out.**_

"If you're looking for an apology, you're not getting one."

* * *

 **This chappie was a bit shorter, but that doesn't mean that it's less important ;) How will everyone react to 'Shadow'? Only time will tell!**


End file.
